


Exotic

by Redfox_Raine



Series: The Sirens of the Stars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Lance (Voltron), Allura and Coran thinks of the team as family, BAMF Keith (Voltron), BAMF Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bottom Lance (Voltron), Captured Lance, Dancer Lance (Voltron), Eventual Smut, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, Lance is mistaken for an alien, M/M, Pidge sees Lance & Hunk as siblings, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Smut, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), The Garrison Trio (Lance & Hunk & Pidge), Top Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-04-07 03:45:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14072181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redfox_Raine/pseuds/Redfox_Raine
Summary: The Castle of Lions stop by a planet named Drakma to form an alliance. The local Drakonians seem friendly enough, in fact they look very similar to humans (minus the sharp canines and bird legs). But what happens when the Drakonians make a request in return for making an alliance with Voltron? Their request: save a group of Drakonians who were enslaved by the Galra.





	1. Dancing Sirens

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters. The honors goes to DreamWorks. Thank you and enjoy!

The Castle of Lions had docked on a planet called Drakma. Their species were similar to humans, yet not exactly the same. The residents of Drakma called themselves Drakonians. The females were noticeably different, whereas the males were mostly human in appearance. Their skin color varied between shades of brown and orange. The women were taller than their male counter parts and had bird-like feet. Very few of the Drakonians had wings sprouting from their backs; Coran had informed them that it was a recessive trait, but considered a sign that they had beautiful voices.

“So they’re like Sirens?” Pidge inquired.

Coran smiled, “Indeed. Drakonians are known to have the most beautiful voices in this system. Some call them ‘The Sirens of the Stars’.”

And Coran was right. Every chirp and trill that was exchanged between the locals reminded Lance of a wind chime: delicate and melodic. But he noticed something about this alien species. There were rarely any men. In fact, Lance had only seen one or two, and the ones he did see looked nearly human except for the noticeable canine teeth.

Their tour guide Agla, the current Drakonian chieftain with orange skin chirped and happily answered their curiosity, “It is true that men are rare on this planet. Their voices are just as beautiful but do not hold the same power. In fact, it is weaker.”

“So what do they do?” Lance asked.

Agla grinned and pointed towards the center of their village, “Why they dance of course!”

At the center of the village were a group men. Half were playing instruments, while the other half danced and stomped their feet to match the rhythm. Iron bracelets clashed against each other with every arm movement and with every hip movement, small aluminum hoops resonated a hard and deep shake. It reminded Lance of the dance studio his sister went to: free form and anything goes. Their clothes varied from modest to just a piece of cloth. Lance felt himself flush when he made eye contact with a particularly handsome one: just as tall and broad as Shiro, wearing only shorts and jewelry. The Drakonian smiled and bared his canine teeth. Lance squeaked and looked away. He snuck a small glimpse only to find the same alien smiling. This time the alien winked. Lance gaped before he remembered to keep pace with the rest of the team.

“Agla, is there any way we can form an alliance with the people of Drakma?” Allura asked.

Shiro chimed in, “Any help at all or contribution to the coalition would be greatly appreciated.”

Agla nodded her head and stood straighter, adding a good four inches to her already towering height. “Princess Allura of Altea, and Paladins of Voltron,” she bowed her head then continued, “My people are a peaceful race and know not how to fight. The only reason the Galra have yet to conquer our planet is because they fear a siren’s voice and the power behind it.”

Agla motioned for the group to follow her deeper into the village. Dust kicked up with every step and her talons dug into the ground. When they reached the largest house, Agla opened the door for the others to enter. They continued to talk as Agla guided them towards the second floor.

“The Galra may fear us, but it does not stop them from trying.” Agla stopped at two double doors. She turned around and bent down to eye level with Allura, pushing into her personal space. Allura had to slightly lean back to get away from her presence.

“Princess, if we are to form an alliance, then I make only these two requests.” Agla held one finger up, “The first is that you aid us and protect us as Defenders of the Universe.”

Allura immediately nodded her head, “Absolutely. It is something we always offer first when forming an alliance. Voltron protects all.”

Agla hummed and moved away from the princess. She held up a second finger, “The second is connected with recent events…” Agla turned and opened the double doors. Inside was a large room with a round table. She took a seat and the others followed, with Allura sitting directly across from the chieftain and Coran standing behind the princess.

“The Galra have made contact with this planet before. However, because they could not conquer it, they have capture several of my people. Ten Drakonians to be exact—all female. My second request is that you promise to find them.”

Pidge tapped her fingers against the table and asked, “Why can’t you go out and find them? What’s stopping you?”

Shiro looked at Pidge and gave her and unamused look, then apologized to Agla.

The chieftain shook her head, “The Green Paladin has a point. Sadly, we are not equipped for such a mission. The first time the Galra attacked, they destroyed our hangers and ships. All that is left are the ships that we use for transport with other planets in this solar system. And there is something else…”

Agla raised her hand. From a window another Drakonian flew in and landed near the table, kneeling and keeping her head low. She had orange skin and her wings were colored like rich earth soil. The Drakonian was definitely smaller than most. Agla chirped and motioned for the smaller alien to stand. That’s when Lance saw it: a Galra tech collar pulsating a purple glow around the Drakonian’s throat.

Pidge immediately stood up and ran around the table to the alien. Hunk followed to examine it as well while Agla continued to talk, “Thelxi was almost captured. A Galra succeeded in placing this thing on her before he was killed. I believe they finally found a way to suppress our powers.”

There was a clatter, and everyone jumped. Hunk raised his hands, “Sorry, I dropped the panel.”

“Damn it, Hunk! It felt like the air just popped.” Lance pursed his lips.

“Dude, please, I’m sweating bullets over here,” Hunk scratched his cheek embarrassed.

“It’s a shock collar or something…” Pidge was prodding the inside of the panel and had a wire connected to the collar, “It has three functions: an ‘on’ and ‘off’ button and some weird in between setting. Right now it’s fully functional, so there’s no way a person would sing much less talk with this collar on.”

The others had slightly paled. Allura was the first to speak, “We accept your offer. While we finish tying this alliance, would it be alright if our Green and Yellow Paladin continue to examine the collar?”

Agla sneered and nodded her head, “As long as it does not harm Thelxi, do what you must to remove that monstrosity. My people will provide shelter and food for as long as you need.”

Allura bowed and the two leaders shook hands.

The next day everyone changed out of their armor and into their casual wear; Allura had allowed it because the weather was warmer than usual. Pidge and Hunk were left with the small Drakonian, Thelxi, to see if they could remove the shock collar. In the meantime, Allura, Coran, and Shiro were left with Agla to finalize the alliance and to gather any extra information on the captured Drakonians. That left both Lance and Keith to their own devices. Lance announced that he would explore the village and began to leave the room, before Allura stopped him.

“Lance, I know you plan to interact with some of the locals so—”

“I know, I know,” Lance groaned, “I’ll keep my antics to a minimum.”

“Actually, I was going to say have fun.” Allura smiled, “I remember you mentioned that on Earth, you would dance and sing with one of your siblings. Agla also told me that the Drakonians have a competition of sorts; perhaps you can see if it interests you?”

Lance immediately brightened up and nodded his head vigorously. Allura giggled at his excitement then added, “Keith will being going with you as well, so look after each other and be respectful. We are Voltron, but we are also guests.”

He quietly bit the inside of his cheek before he said anything snarky and just nodded his head. Lance turned and walked over to the Red Paladin. Keith had been watching the whole ordeal with his arms crossed against his chest. Lance wasn’t sure if he was going to be annoyed that Keith would be with him the entire time or thankful.

The Blue Paladin clapped Keith’s shoulder, then said, “Alright Keithy-boy, the ladies await!”

Keith scoffed, “Don’t call me that.”

Together the two walked outside and into the village. As they walked through the dirt roads, they looked and greeted everyone who came up to them. All the houses were made from wood, with low roofs to block out the sunlight. Others were elevated on stilts to accommodate for the mountainous terrain, and although there were barely any trees, the vast amount of greenery made up for the beauty. The terrace style that covered the mountains reminded Lance of an offset layered cake, so that the chocolate frosting could dribble down the side and carry onto the next layer. His mouth salivated at the thought of chocolate cake, but Keith snapped him out of his daydreaming.

“So what are we doing?” Keith asked.

“Food first, then we’re gonna find whatever competition Allura was talking about. I want to see what it’s about!” Lance licked his lips as he looked around for any available food stalls.

When he found one, he grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled him along. He immediately ordered two of whatever was served, and when they were ready he held out one of the orders to Keith. He was surprised to see the Red Paladin shocked and flustered when he took the food in hand. The two stuffed their faces with food. It honestly looked like a barbecue stick filled with alien meat and any local vegetables the Drakonians grew. Very delectable.

After finishing their meal, Lance took the lead and followed his ears through the streets with Keith in tow. It never crossed his mind that not once had they bickered. It was actually nice for once. His smile grew even bigger when he saw a large group of people surrounding a large stone stage that had been raised from the ground. It was surrounded by unlit torches and standing on stage were several natives singing.

When the two Paladins approached the stage, a male spotted them. The Drakonian was only wearing loose pants and a sash to keep them up. The anklets chimed as he walked towards them. Lance realized that it was the same man from earlier who caught his attention.

Canines protruded from his mouth when he smiled, “Greetings, I am Akolos,” he smiled and took a deep bow.

Lance coughed and cleared his throat, “The name’s Lance, nice to meet you!”

“Keith, nice to meet you.” he nodded his head in acknowledgement.

“Have you come to join in the fun?” Akolos asked.

Lance nodded his head unsure, “Yes? I was told that there was a competition of sorts.”

“I’m sorry to say that this is the last act is finishing up,” Akolos answered, then motioned towards the stage, “The villagers are given free reign of the stage until nightfall. Singing and dancing are free to any of those who wish to join. Will the two of you be joining?”

Lance looked at the stage. It was larger and higher up close; he would probably get incredibly nervous if he went up there on his own. Maybe he could get Keith to go up there with him, but he was too stubborn to ask. He was stuck.

Lance cupped his hands behind his back and quietly answered, “Thank you for the offer. I think I’ll join in later.”

Akolos smiled and nodded his head, “Alright. There are food and drinks, and if you want to go on stage, just ask the young woman over there,” he pointed at one of the Drakonians sitting at the edge of the stage. With a subtle wink, Akolos left the two alone. Lance could feel the heat rise in his face. Next to him he could hear Keith stifle a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Lance irritably asked.

“Nothing,” Keith held back another laugh, “Never thought I’d see you be so shy when someone flirts with you.”

“Oh, shut up!” Lance huffed. He walked away while Keith trailed behind fully letting his laughter out now.

Several hours passed and the daylight faded away into a soft glow. Lance and Keith had stayed in the same area, eating and conversing with the locals. They were later joined by both Hunk and Pidge, who began gathering food and sat down with both Lance and Keith. They were happy to report that they disabled the shock function in the collar and although they had yet to completely remove it, Thelxi was incredibly thankful to be able to sing with her sisters again. Hunk and Pidge had reported to Agla about their progress, and she was incredibly please as well, peppering them with hugs and kisses.

“Agla is Thelxi’s older sister.” Hunk supplied, “It was no wonder she was so relieved.”

Pidge chimed in, “Yeah, it looked like she was gonna cry when we told her that we disabled the collar.”

The four continued to converse amongst themselves and to any approaching Drakonian that greeted them. Not too long after, Shiro and Allura found them. The princess informed them that Coran returned to the Castle of Lions, while Agla prepared their rooms and a celebration for the alliance.

A familiar voice roared from the stage. Everyone turned and found Agla, along with Thelxi and Akolos standing on stage with their heads held high. Lance and the others watched as Agla took a deep breath and roared once more. The audience shouted back and roared in response.

Agla raise her voice and shouted, “Tonight, we celebrate our alliance with Voltron!” Agla paused to let the audience roar once again. She silenced the crowd with a wave of her hand and continued, “But before we begin, I would like to show my gratitude for what they have done to help my family.” Agla bowed her head in the direction of the team, along with the two Drakonians that stood on both sides. The rest of the audience stayed silent until the chieftain lifted her head and gave the biggest smile Lance had ever seen.

“Thank you. Now, let the festivities begin!”

Music filled the valley. As Agla and the two younger aliens jumped off the stage, the torches around the area were carefully lit while lanterns were prepared to hang from the roof of each house. Lance and the others watched as Drakonians dance around the others, holding platters filled with food then skillfully sliding them across the tables. Everything was lively and the team enjoyed themselves as they watch one alien after another exchange places on stage. Lance was taking a sip from his drink when someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned and looked up to find Thelxi smiling nervously.

“You are Lance? Paladin of the Blue Lion?” her voice sounded like quiet chirps.

He nodded his head, “At your service.”

Thelxi was twisting a piece of fabric in her hands while she spoke, “I would like to thank you and your friends for helping me and my people.”

“It’s no problem at all. Plus, Hunk and Pidge did all the work.”

“Yes, well you see…” Thelxi looked up and seemed to snatch a quick glance at his friends. Strange. Thelxi continued, “Your friends have shared many great stories, and I have come to learn that you also love to sing and dance…”

Pidge adjusted her glasses and smiled, “Thelxi. It is absolutely fine, I’m sure Lance would say ‘yes’ anyways.”

Lance raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Is it a date? Wait, are you asking me to dance?”

Thelxi flushed and her wings puffed up. She talked as quickly as she could, “My siblings and I plan to sing for the festivities while a few of us dance on stage. We would like to know if you would wear the traditional garb and dance with us.”

“Absolutely!” Lance turned to both Shiro and Allura then asked, “It’s alright...right?”

They both nodded her head and Shiro answered, “I don’t see why not. But what’s the traditional garb?”

Thelxi smiled brightly and pulled Lance to his feet, “It is a surprise!” Thelxi pulled Lance along passed the stage and into a house. She clapped her hands and looked at Lance, “I know I said it was a surprise, but there are several outfits for you to choose from. Pick whichever you like, you may mix and match, or you can wear what you have now. It’s up to you.”

“Quick question: I’m not going to be the only one up there am I?”

Thelxi shook her head and answered, “Akolos mentioned that you were quite nervous, so he arranged a small match.” She opened a door that led to a bedroom, “He will dance first and then you will dance afterwards. My siblings and I will sing three songs and the best of three wins!”

The light bulb went off in his head, “So kinda like a freestyle, dance off?”

Again, Thelxi nodded her head, “I hope that’s alright.”

Lance nodded his head and thanked her. He wasn’t expecting tonight to turn into some dance movie with a battle and everything. Lance had done dancing and singing with his sister before and in front of a crowd. But it was always at a studio and without a stage. He had never performed in the spotlight and that honestly shook his nerves. But if it was going to be a dance battle thing, he could do that. So once he had his courage, he explored the bedroom for a bit and looked through the outfits. The only way he could describe the outfits was on a very large scale that could tilt either towards modesty or scandalous. With what he was given to work with, mixing some garments was a must.

He remembered his sister’s words as he picked out his outfit: leave the torso bare for body rolls and tie a sweater around your waist for bouncing your hips. So that’s what he did. He pulled on some black leggings, then chose the only blue sheer harem pants. Lance wanted the chime sound like the other Drakonians had, so he found silver anklets to slip on. For his hips, he tied a long sash around his body and left two long ends for movement.

Next was a bare torso, so it was either a loose crop top or a halter top. The net design over the solid aqua fabric was catching his eye so he pulled that over his head and adjusted it on his ribs. He didn’t want it to slip up. For a final touch he added bracelets and a single arm bangle on his left bicep. With a final look in the mirror, he smiled.

“I rock this outfit.” Lance whispered. It’s been a while since he wore a crop top.

When he left the bedroom, Thelxi and Akolos were waiting for him. They saw him and Thelxi immediately started to chirp excitedly and squeal, while Akolos turned red.

“Amazing!” Thelxi exclaimed, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were a Drakonian! You have exquisite taste, Lance!”

Akolos coughed and stuttered, “Ah, L-lance! I believe you forgot one last thing…” the man held up a blue veil with sewn in patterns, “I have my own. For what we will do, we must not be able to read one another’s expressions. It is a battle of wits and improvisation.”

Lance snorted, but took the veil and fastened it over the bottom half of his face and said, “I’m starting to feel like those belly dancers in movies.”

“What is a movie?” they both asked.

“Oh nothing. It’s an earth thing.”

After Akolos and Thelxi changed, they exited the building and made their way to the stage. Boy was the team in for a big surprise.


	2. Let the Music Guide You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Everyone! I just want to say thank you to the people who commented, gave kudos, and viewed my work. I also want you to know that I decided to make this story Keith/Lance. It seemed like a good idea so I added some tags and labeled them properly. Again, thank you and enjoy!

Lance really wanted to show the team his outfit; to run up to them and tell them how flamboyant he felt. But instead Akolos had gingerly took his hand and guided him towards the banquet. Thelxi spread her wings and flew on stage, and immediately began to announce the show. But Lance had all but tuned out the Drakonian’s voice when Akolos breath tickled his ear. He would later deny the small squeak when Akolos began to whisper.

“Thelxi and her sisters will sing three songs, each in a different style. I will go first and when the song reaches the halfway point, I will guide you to the middle while I dance.” Akolos was still holding his hand while he spoke.

Lance shivered and nodded his head. Once Thelxi finished their introduction, the two of them approached. Akolos jumped on stage and held his hand out to Lance. With a strong arm, Lance was pulled up and the crowd cheered. He even heard a few chirps and whistles. The nervousness had been replaced by embarrassment from getting such positive attention. To keep himself calm, he looked over the crowd to find his team. Several things happened at once.

He saw Allura and Pidge cupping their hands around their mouth, cheering and yelling encouraging statements. Shiro was shaking his head with amusement, and a small smile had crawled onto their leader’s face. When he looked at Hunk, his friend was smiling and giving him a thumbs up while he patted Keith’s back with his other hand. Hunk must have been trying to get Keith’s attention, because when the Red Paladin turned his gaze towards the stage, Lance swore he saw him cough and choke on whatever food he was eating. Well, that was new.

There was little time to see what happened after Keith regained his composure, because Thelxi along with several more Drakonians began to sing. Lance stood at the side of the stage while Akolos took the center, and he watched as the alien moved his body with the beat. It was slow at first and then began to pick up speed with the constant chime of jewelry clanking against each other. Lance realized that the way they danced was very similar to what he had learned back on earth. What Akolos was doing—and what Lance will be doing—was a freestyle. As long as the movements matched the genre of song, it didn’t matter how they danced.

Lance only noticed when the song reached its halfway point when Akolos began to approach him while he danced, so he complied. Akolos twirled, made quick and lithe steps towards him and held out his hand. Orange skin reflected against the torch lights and shimmered with sweat. Lance gently gripped the aliens hand and let himself be pulled into the middle of the stage. For a while the two danced together, shaking their hips with each beat and moving their arms to make the bracelets chime. Lance had locked eyes with Akolos for a second and could see a small blush rise on the alien’s face, but the veil did its job in hiding any other sign.

Before Akolos retreated to the edge of the stage Lance saw him mouth the words, “Good luck,” and threw out a wink. Lance almost tripped while he was dancing. He was not going to let this supple and gorgeous alien throw him off his game. This was a battle he was going to win. He danced with vigor.

His movements were small but fast and he kept his arms moving in a way that kept the audience’s focused on the constant bouncing of his hips. When the song slowed, he stepped left and right to sway his body preparing to pose at the end of the song. He threw one hand up with the other resting on a protruded hip and stretched one leg forward to create the illusion for long legs. His heavy breathing was drowned out by the sound of everyone cheering. Lance even heard Hunk shouting at the top of his lungs. In that moment, Lance felt alive.

Thelxi and Akolos joined Lance at the center of the stage. With Lance and Akolos flanking her sides, she raised her voice to the crowd, “The first song has ended, now choose which dancer has guided their way to your hearts!” She patted Lance on the shoulder and motioned for him to step forward, then shouted, “Will it be Lance!?”

The Drakonians cheered and let out several sounds that Lance didn’t know they could make. Who knew a screech could be a good thing. From the back he could also see his team. Hunk already knew that he could dance, so he was unfazed and cheering like the rest of the locals. Pidge, Allura, and Shiro had worn shocked expression but regained their composure and began yelling encouragements. Lance was pretty sure he heard Pidge say something along the lines of “slaying the competition”. Keith was the only one who wasn’t doing anything. He was just staring with his mouth agape and his eyes like saucers. Lance quietly snorted when he saw Pidge smack the back of Keith’s head; it shook him out of his gawking and he joined the others in their applause.

Next to him, he saw Akolos step forward and Thelxi raised her voice again, “Or will it be Akolos!”

Again the audience cheered just as loudly and Lance could only assume that the winner was determined by how loud the Drakonians cheered. Lance as about to turn and ask Thelxi when he saw that her eyes were glowing a vibrant silver. Seconds later, the light faded from her eyes and they returned to their usual color. She was smiling.

Thelxi looked to Lance first before grabbing his hand and raising it to the sky and announced, “The first song goes to the Blue Paladin!”

The Drakonians surrounding the stage chirped and shouted congratulations towards Lance. Other residents who were watching from the roofs and balconies of nearby houses screeched to add to the growing noise of celebration. But Lance was still confused on how Thelxi had chosen a winner.

Lance looked at Thelxi and asked, “How do you determine the winner for each dance? And your eyes were glowing silver earlier…”

Thelxi cupped her hands over her heart and answered, “All Drakonians have the ability to express their emotions and thoughts through voice alone, no matter how weak. And although males tend to prefer dance for expression, they are also able to communicate in the same fashion.”

“So the glowing thing was you communicating?” Lance asked.

Thelxi nodded, “Indeed. All one needs to do is watch and listen.” She began to shuffle Akolos towards one side of the stage, then rearranged Lance in the middle and said, “It is now your turn to lead. Akolos will signal you when the song reaches its height and you will guide him to the center.”

Lance twisted his hands nervously and asked, “Think I can get a hint on what kind of song you’re gonna sing?”

The wings on Thelxi’s back twitched. They stretched then folded back in before she spoke, “Sadness.”

Lance wasn’t sure if he should be confident about the theme or incredibly pessimistic about how sad he really was. The emotion was too thick and heavy in his chest. When Thelxi and her sisters began to sing, he felt a sudden rush. He missed home, and his family.

Lance started out slow like the song, and let his toes lightly drag against the stone floor. He bent his body backward and made and arch, then brought himself back up. He jumped into a perfect split like he did when the dance studio taught them ballet, and Lance made certain to take his time and perfect every movement. When he thought it was long enough, Lance turned his body towards Akolos and continued to dance.

The Drakonian was following his every movement, and Lance swore he could feel the other’s gold filled eyes focus on every muscle that flexed. Akolos’ eyes snapped up and looked directly at Lance; that must be the signal. So Lance made slow melodic movements and pointed his toes whenever he took a step. He made a quick twirl to let the fabric at his hips fly, then gently reached for Akolos’ hand.

Drakonian hands were larger than human ones, but when Lance grabbed Akolos they were soft. He guided him towards the center of the stage. When Akolos stopped at the center, Lance pulled his arm and let go just as fast to let both their arms linger in the air. Slowly, the blue paladin walked around Akolos, letting his fingertips lightly brush against the others hand. He felt them twitch and shiver, and Lance smirked. If this alien was throwing winks at him, he was going to make it very hard for him to resist. With a final glance, Lance gracefully made his way to the edge of the stage and waited patiently for Akolos to finish. 

Before he knew it, the song had ended and everyone gave them cheers. Lance was pretty sure he could see a few of the aliens crying. Was his team also sad? He looked up and found Hunk crying while he waved. The rest of his team had just finished wiping their eyes with their sleeves or a piece of cloth from the table. Lance never knew that Drakonians could evoke such emotions with just their power. Now he understood why the Galra was never able to conquer their planet; they could sing fear or even helplessness into their hearts and they would immediately give up.

The decision was made in a similar fashion. Akolos was judged first, and Lance went second. Thelxi spread her wings and they shivered. Her eyes were glowing silver once more. When they had finally stopped glowing, Thelxi reached for Akolos and raised his hand.

“The second song goes to Akolos!” Thelxi shouted.

The Drakonians cheered again, then settled down for the last song. Once everyone had settled, Thelxi turned and looked at both Lance and Akolos. She motioned for them to lean in as she spoke.

“You two are phenomenal! This is the last song, and because you two are tied I will tell you how you must dance to win.” The two nodded and waited for Thelxi’s words. There was a mischievous glint in her eye and she said, “Sensual.”

Wow. Lance could feel his face flare up with embarrassment and shyness. When he looked over at Akolos, his face had the same amount of red although he had composed himself much better. While Akolos was left to start, Lance receded to the edge of the stage and began to think of ways to be sensual. One thing only came to mind and all he could do was cover his face. He remembered his sister’s words: “if you’re gonna roll your body, then do it like you’re having sex on a wave.” Damn everything, he could feel his body become flush just from thinking about it. He really hoped that the team wouldn’t feel disturbed by how he would dance for the final song.

Thelxi began to sing and surprisingly, the song was very similar to one of the choreographed songs Lance had danced to. Luck was definitely on his side. The words that were sung was in a foreign language, but he could only assume that the lyrics were all about love and sex. As he watched Akolos dance and listened to Thelxi sing, he grew confident. He would be able to do this.

Lance watched as Akolos danced, and it was very sensual. There was hair tugging, hips bouncing, and he was dragging his hands across every exposed skin. Lance almost choked when Akolos locked eyes with him and slid a hand towards his navel. Someone save him, he needed to get that Drakonian back for that gesture. He was so flustered and the movements were so stimulating that Lance had to look away to take a breath. Instead his gaze landed on his team, and more specifically, Keith. The Red Paladin wasn’t even watching the Drakonian dance, he had his eyes locked on Lance and no other. His eyebrows were furrowed with concentration and his fists were curled and resting on the table. Lance, for the life of him could not figure out what Keith was doing. Was he waiting?

Lance’s eyes snapped back to the center when he heard the crowd wolf whistle. Akolos was telling him to come on stage, beckoning him with a single finger. The gesture was obvious: “come here,” it said. So Lance prepared himself, threw away his shame, and strutted on stage like he was sex on legs.

With each step, he pumped his hips. The loose fabric flew and slowly fluttered back down. He walked over to Akolos like he owned the stage, and openly dragged his hand across the man’s abdomen. Lance stalked around him on his toes all while letting his hand feel every expanse of the alien’s body: up and around the shoulder, down his muscular back, and ended at the center of the Drakonian’s chest. Finally he got to touch all that muscle.

The sound of whistles and some cat calls were lost on his ears when he saw Akolos’ face hidden beneath the veil: wrecked but wanting more. But this was a challenge, and Lance was going to win this last song. With a gentle push, Lance worked himself up against Akolos to guide the Drakonian off stage while his hand was still spread across the alien’s chest. When the alien was finally clear, Lance retreated to the center and began to vibrate his hips and ran his hands up and over his torso until he reached his hair. The song at his ears propelled him forward and he began to dance what he remembered of the choreography.

He ran his fingers through his hair and with half lidded eyes searched the audience, until finally he locked eyes with a certain paladin. The only way Lance would be able to get through this song was if he focused on one thing, so he kept his gaze fixed and bit his lip under the veil. Lance pumped out his chest, rolled every inch of his torso, then stopped to stretched his neck up. He ran a single finger over his exposed skin and down the terrain of his body until he reached his navel.

The song was almost over, so as a final act he rolled his neck and sunk down to the floor on his knees and spread them wide, then brought them back together and slid down onto his side. He stretched out one arm and rested his head on the one he tucked under. The leg on top was pulled forward, while the one he laid on was stretched out to exaggerated the curve of his hips, the dip in his waist, and the rise in his chest. He had the perfect illusion of an hourglass shaped body and the pose shouted everything sensual.

Lance did not realize that his dancing had gotten almost everyone’s attention in the area. All eyes were on him and when he stood up, Thelxi and Akolos approached him with dumbfounded looks and amazement. Akolos was the first to speak.

“Had I not known you were of a different species, I would have believed you were Drakonian…”

Thelxi’s eyes were already glowing, “That was amazing,” the light faded back into their normal color, “You have captured everyone’s heart. It was beyond sensual…”

“Uh…” Lance began, “Is that bad? It was too obscene wasn’t it.”

“No,” Thelxi waved her hands, then excitedly said, “You were able to enchant a large portion of the audience. Only male Drakonians can achieve such a feat through dancing.”

Every single Drakonian who was present for Lance’s act began to roar and cheer with so much vigor, he could feel the stage slightly shake.

Akolos removed his veil and gave Lance a toothy smile, “You were truly magnificent, Blue Paladin.”

Lance felt giddy from all the attention. He pulled himself together and thanked both the Drakonians for singing and dancing with him. The veil was removed from his face and he gave it to Akolos to store away. When Lance jumped from the stage, Agla passed him and congratulated him then joined Thelxi and the rest of their sisters to continue singing the rest of the night. The table that held his team was not too far, so he hurriedly ran over, all while failing to hide his smile.

Pidge was the first one to scream at him, “How were you able to do that with your hips?! How are they not broken?!”

“Yes, I would also like to know,” Allura spoke up, “I have never seen another being who could move like that.”

Lance explained that while he did take dance classes with his sister, she wanted to learn belly dancing but was too shy to go alone. He volunteered to sign up with her and he learned to move his hips in crazy ways. When he was done explaining, Hunk held his hand up for a high-five and gushed about how amazed everyone was; no one could take their eyes off him. Afterwards, Allura and Pidge asked if he could teach them a few moves. He said yes.

Shiro spoke up next, grinning, “I believe Keith would like to say something to you, Lance.”

He looked up just in time to see Shiro nudge Keith’s shoulder with his elbow. The Red Paladin was hunched over and hiding his hands under the table. Lance had only seen Keith’s face so red once before, and it was because he was angry.

“Um...you were,” Keith began. He was having a hard time finding his words, but said, “Uh...you were amazing up there…”

Lance felt his ears burning from the sudden compliment. He pulled his hands behind his back and stared at the ground. “Thank you,” he said.

“So,” Pidge spoke up, “Are you going to wear those clothes for the rest of the night?”

Lance perked up and looked down at his outfit, twisting and turning while he talked, “Actually, I really like it. I want to ask Thelxi if I could keep it, but you think that might be too much?” Lance looked to Allura and asked, “What do you think, Allura?”

“Well, they called it a traditional garb…” Allura tapped her chin, “If you really want it, you may ask Agla. But if she declines, then we can always use the synthesizer in the Castle to make some clothes.”

“Yes!” Lance whooped and fist pumped, “I’m gonna go and change; it’s getting a little chilly.”

“Good idea,” Shiro answered, “You don’t want to get sick before the night ends.” He nudged Keith again and the boy abruptly stood up. Shiro looked at Lance and said, “Maybe it’s a good idea to take Keith with you. Pidge mentioned during your dance that some Drakonians might try to court you now.”

Both Keith and Lance sputtered and looked at Pidge like she had just betrayed them. Keith’s shoulders had hunched up like he was trying to hide, then said, “I’ll go with you. I left my jacket in the room anyways.”

Together the two paladins walked off towards the guest house not hearing the quiet snickers and giggles that was drowned out by the Drakonians laughing and singing the night away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will have a little moment between Keith and Lance, when suddenly...


	3. Become my Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone,  
> I wanted to update everyone about what days I will be posting a new chapter. Some of you may have noticed that this specific chapter has been moved forward by several days. That is because I changed the posting dates to every Thursday or Friday. That means there will be no new chapter until next week (April 12 or 13) and this chapter will be moved forward to this coming Friday. I am very sorry for the confusion. Thank you again for comments and kudos.

The guest house was across from the chieftain’s home and just as big: two floors and enough bedrooms to house nine Drakonians. It was built into the side of a large hill, so the house had been elevated on stilts and had stairs that lead to a large patio at the front. Above them the night sky was littered with stars and carried two moons: one large and blue while the second was small and red.

Lance wasn’t lying when he said it was getting cold and excused himself from the festivities. He was thinking maybe he would take a shower once they entered the guest house; his feet had gotten dusty from walking barefoot and he was sweaty from dancing all night. The thought of finally relaxing and sleeping was something he was deeply looking forward to. They were walking up the stairs when Keith spoke up.

“Hey, Lance?”

The Blue Paladin turned his attention towards Keith, “What’s up, buddy?”

“Do you...maybe, want to talk for a bit?” Keith shyly asked.

Lance was surprised that he wanted to talk at all. But he smiled and said, “Yeah. Inside or…?”

Keith rubbed his thumb and forefinger together nervously, “Outside? I want to look at the stars for a bit…”

He nodded his head. The night was warm, but the wind blowing was chilly, so Keith went inside to grab his jacket, while Lance opted for a thin blanket. He didn’t want to dirty his usual clothes for tomorrow, so he kept his belly dancing outfit on and tucked the blanket closely around his bare torso. After they lightly bundled up, they stepped back onto the patio. Lance pulled himself up onto the wooden railing and hooked his ankles around one of the stems, while Keith took to leaning his elbows on the fence.

Lance pulled the blanket closer over his shoulders then asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Nothing...in particular,” Keith shrugged, and looked out into the distance, “I just thought it would be nice to talk for a bit.”

Lanced hummed in agreement, “Then how about how crazy this all is?” he quietly laughed.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked.

“Well,” Lance began, “All this space exploration, and the war—I didn’t think I would end up doing this, ya know. I mean, look where we’re at: we’re on Drakma, some alien planet.”

Keith had his head hanging, but he laughed and replied, “Yeah, it’s all pretty crazy. Although, not as crazy as finding out you’re half alien.”

“Had Pidge met you and known you were half alien, she would totally flip.” Lance commented.

Keith turned and looked at Lance with the brightest smile and said, “So I had a conversation with Pidge about aliens, and she completely blew my mind.”

Lance giggled and asked, “What’d she say?”

Keith began his explanation, “She said that if we went by the human definition of aliens, how they’re supposed to be a life form from a different planet, then technically we’re the aliens since we’re visiting all these planets.”

“Wow,” Lance gawked for a minute then said, “So I’m an alien. Looks like you’re not alone.”

Keith stared unbelieving at Lance then smiled fondly. It must have been a nice thought knowing that Keith was half Galra. Lance guessed that the conversation between Keith and Pidge probably happened not too long after discovering his heritage. Who knew Pidge could use logic as a comforting tool. Lance felt proud when he thought of Pidge explaining this to Keith.

There was a comfortable silence that settled between the two, and seeing as they weren’t talking in that moment, Lance pulled up one of his legs across his knee and began removing the anklets. The clothes were comfortable, but the constant clinking of jewelry against his skin was going to irritated it in the long run. The first one came off easily, but he had difficulty getting the last two off. He began to grumble when the last anklet refused to come off. 

“Need help?” Keith asked

Lance’s eyes flicked up and saw the boy eyeing his legs. His hair was being ruffled by the gentle night breeze and he could see a small glint coming from his Galran knife. Keith had become a lot more comfortable with who he was. Lance pouted and the blanket around his shoulders pooled around his waist while he struggled with his right ankle.

Lance huffed, “No, I don’t need help.”

He gasped and almost fell backwards when Keith grasped his ankle and pulled. On reflex, Lance reached forward and grabbed Keith’s jacket, pulling him closer between his legs. Now, Lance would call this a compromising position, but he kind of liked it. Keith was leaning in close and the body resting between his knees felt snug and nice, almost perfect. At the moment, Keith wasn’t fully facing Lance and was instead focused on the piece of jewelry stuck on his ankle.

Keith pulled his knife then said, “You’ve been pulling the anklet without realizing it’s snagged on a string.” He moved his knife to the outside of his ankle and cut a string that Lance could not see. Keith looked up at Lance and they couldn’t look away from each other. Lance jolted when he heard the sleek sound of metal snapping back into its rightful place. Gently, Keith cupped Lance’s calf and without breaking his gaze slipped the anklet off. Lance blushed and turned red when he saw Keith slyly grinning. What was wrong with him? When Keith let go of his leg, Lance felt the faintness touch against his thigh and he shivered. Damn it all!

Keith licked his lips then asked, “Do you...need help with your other ankle?”

Lance did not trust his voice right now, so he nodded his head. He watched as Keith cupped one hand under his thigh, then felt him slide his hand all the way down to his ankle and raised it. To help, Lance pointed his foot to get the jewelry off easier and watched expectantly as Keith removed one anklet at a time. Each piece of jewelry was placed on the railing next to Lance. When he was done, Keith slowly moved both his hands onto the railing and effectively boxing Lance in between his arms. Maybe Lance was delusional, but this seemed like a perfect opportunity to just kiss him. The tension around them was so thick that Lance would probably be able to cut through it with Keith’s knife.

“I want to kiss you so bad right now.” Keith breathed.

Lance brought his hands up, his bracelets chimed as they slipped down his forearms. He looped his arms around Keith’s neck and absently coiled a strand of his shaggy hair between his fingers. He leaned in close and his lips ghosted over the Red Paladin’s lips.

Lance whispered, “Then kiss me.” And they did.

They were soft and plump, but had no particular taste to them. They kissed again, this time longer and just as gently. Keith had woven an arm around Lance’s waist while his second hand glided up his spine and into his scalp. In response, Lance wrapped his arms tighter and parted his legs further so he could accommodate Keith. The moment was perfect, but it was short lived.

There was an explosion in the distance, and they stopped to turn. It had come from where they were holding the banquet. Lance slid off the railing with the blanket forgotten and fluttering, and the two scrambled towards the house. What a time to be interrupted. What a time it was to be without their armor, and they both realized something. The good news was that Pidge had created a small earpiece for the entire team to communicate when they were without their helmets. The bad news was that everyone’s bayards were in the guest house with Lance and Keith.

Lance switched on his earpiece and shouted, “Hunk! What’s going on!?”

There were screams and pops coming from the channel before Hunk answered, “The Galra are attacking!”

Nothing more was said. Keith and Lance grabbed everyone’s bayard and ran back towards the banquet. Lance could feel the small pebbles of the dirt road dig into his feet. The closer they got, the more disoriented and chaotic it was. Several houses were on fire and food had been spilled and crushed into the dirt. Not far off, Lance spotted Shiro using his Galran arm to fight off the enemy, while Allura was shouting, presumably into the comms with Coran to get the Castle up and running. Lance spotted Hunk and Pidge hiding behind one of the tables, so he took their bayards and delivered it to them. Keith had taken the black bayard to Shiro and they began to fight back.

A few of the Drakonians were also fighting, using their talons to rip off any armor. Lance found that there was a strategy to how the aliens fought: any Drakonians that had wings would fly and use their talons to rip off the enemy’s helmet, and once their heads were bare another Drakonian would start to sing. The Galra would drop to their knees and become dazed, while others would faint on the spot. It was terrifyingly strange.

Once everyone was situated and had their bayards, Lance transformed his bayard and began to shoot. Hunk stayed with Lance and picked off the enemies from afar while Pidge combed the area and zapped any Galra under the Drakonian’s influence into unconsciousness. The drones that were dropped in the area were surprisingly affected by the alien’s powers, but it only slowed them down. So Keith and Shiro worked together to take down the soldiers; Keith had both his bayard and awakened Galran sword, while Shiro used his own bayard and Galran arm. They were amazing, especially Keith. If Lance wasn’t fighting right now, he would ask Keith to go to the training room and watch him dual wield those swords because, not only was it crazy, it was disturbingly hot.

Lance shook his thoughts away when he heard familiar screeching. He looked up to find that a few Galra were wrestling a Drakonian to the ground trying to snap on what he recognized as the shock collar. He shouted at Hunk to cover him, then ran towards the fray. With his bayard resting against his shoulder, he shot down the surrounding enemies and reached the alien.

Lance dropped down next to the Drakonian, “Hurry and run! The collar disables your voice, so hurry!” The alien scurried away as fast as it could.

Before Lance could retreat back to his best friend’s side, a drone gripped his ankle and he tripped. He violently shot at the robot, but was soon defeated when a Galra approached him and kicked the bayard from his hands. Lance began to scream for his fellow Paladins, catching their attention too late. A black collar with a purple line pulsing, was snapped into place around his throat and he immediately felt the electrical currents violently tear through his body. His muscles twitched and curled him on himself.

When the shockwave settled is vision was spotting and fading in and out of black. All he could see was blurry images of his teammates shouting and desperately trying to save him. He blinked and he saw Keith slashing at everything before him before he was knocked down by two drones and pinned to the ground. He watched as Keith cut of the head of the robot and shouted Shiro’s name. But it was too late. Lance was being dragged away with a yank of his collar. He kicked his feet wildly and clawed at the hand choking him with the collar. When he tried to scream again, another pulse rushed through his body and he went limp.

When Lance regained consciousness, he was more aware of his surroundings. Lance was being loaded into a prisoner’s cell along with two other Drakonians, one of them was Thelxi and she was silently crying and comforting her kin. The Galra who had dragged him mercilessly dropped his body onto the metal floor. Lance held his tongue in fear of another shock. He lifted his head and watched as a force field blocked their exit.

Lance pulled himself up and winced when he felt pain. There would be a large bruise later. He was later thrown off balance again when the room jerked. They must have been on a smaller ship that was transporting them. Nothing about the situation was ideal. Lance was without his bayard, his armor, or even decent clothes. Now what? He could only hope that his teammates could get to their Lions and give chase.


	4. Silver Tongue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Firstly, I want to apologize for the mix up the last couple of weeks. Some of you may have noticed that this story was "updated" but wouldn't have a new chapter. This is because I was shuffling around the dates to correct the posting dates. Luckily, everything is now in order and a new chapter will be posted every Thursday or Friday. Again, thank you for the comments and kudos!

Keith was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He was looking at a large group of drones and a few Galra that stood between him and three aircrafts where prisoners were being loaded. The Red Paladin could barely see the limp human body being loaded in with the rest of the prisoners. He took note; Lance was in the second ship.

“Pidge!” Keith shouted, “Get to the ship in the middle! Lance is there!”

He didn’t wait for Pidge to answer; he charged the small group of drones. His bayard was drawn and his Galran sword was awakened. Keith swung his arms with tenacity and twisted his body to bring out their full motion. Metal arms clattered against the ground and small sparks of electricity flew from their cut circuits. He charged another drone and scissored his swords to cut the head clean off. 

There was a flash of black and white to his right. Shiro had joined the fray and pinned down a Galra with his glowing arm. Just beyond him was Pidge, who weaved her way through the crowd and towards the ships, with Hunk not too far behind. The Yellow Paladin swung his bayard in a large arc and laid down covering fire so Pidge would be able to make it safely.

While Keith had watched his teammates slip by, he didn’t notice one of the severed drones make a grab for his legs. The half severed robot held him in place while two more tackled him to the ground. The wind was knocked out of him, but he desperately raised his bayard and stabbed into one of the robots. The first fell away, and with a swivel of his hips, Keith pushed the second one off and pinned the drone between his thighs. He poured all his anger into a single blow and pierced the drone’s head. Keith twisted the blade, then tore it clean off.

The sound of wind roaring startled him. Keith looked up to find the ships starting their engines and taking flight.

“No!” Keith yelled.

He pulled himself up and began running towards the ships. He cut through several drones and lost his bayard along the way until he was met with a Galra. The purple creature snarled at him, but Keith kept charging. A shot was fired and Keith could feel the distant burn in his shoulder as he cut through the plasma gun then struck with the hilt of his sword. Just as the Galra crumbled to the ground he heard Hunk screaming and yelling.

“PIDGE!” Hunk’s bayard had reverted back and he was wildly waving his arm in the air.

Keith ran over breathing heavily, “Hunk, what’s wrong?!”

Hunk was pointing up, “It’s Pidge! She’s on the ship!”

Keith felt his fingers turn numb. He looked up and sure enough, the Green Paladin was hanging off the ship by both arms swaying back and forth. What was that girl doing?! He watched panicked as the small Galra ship began to move further away from them. Despite the ache in his legs, he began to chase down the moving ship.

The ship had entered a small clearing and it began to tilt upwards to shoot past the atmosphere, and in that instance Pidge was thrown from the aircraft. He watched as the small girl flailed through the air screaming. The muscles in his legs screamed and his shoulder began to burn; he had to catch her, or at least transfer the momentum.

Adrenaline pumped through his body and he sprang forward with his arms spread out. When Keith made contact, he remembered to curl one arm around her head and did his best to protect her as the two of them tumbled through the clearing. The Red Paladin could feel the rocks cut through his back until he felt a burst of cold. They had landed in a small river bed.

Rocks dug into his palm when he pulled both himself and Pidge above the water. Together they gasped and coughed. With his arm still holding Pidge, the young boy dragged them out of the water and towards the shoreline. They were met with a wheezing Hunk.

“Are you two okay?!” Hunk shouted. He tenderly helped Keith sit up holding Pidge in his arms.

Keith swept back his hair, “I think so. How you holding up Pidge?”

The young girl groaned, “I fell from the sky and got drenched in freezing cold water; I’m as good as I’ll ever get.”

Hunk sighed in relief, then tapped the earpiece, “Shiro. Keith and Pidge are fine.”

“Good.” the comms crackled.

Keith rasped when he spoke, “What about Lance? Were Coran and Allura able to get to the Castle?”

“I’m—I’m sorry, Keith.” Shiro’s voice was strained, “By the time I reached them with the Black Lion, they were flying through a wormhole…”

It wasn’t real. They couldn’t get to the ships in time. Keith covered his face with his free hand to keep himself from crying. But he couldn’t. He could already feel a lump in his throat forming and his body was quietly trembling. Lance was a prisoner.

In his arms, Pidge reached up and pulled his head down to hug him. Next to them, Hunk collapsed to his knees and gathered the two Paladins in his arms and rested his head against Keith’s shoulder. All three sat on the bank of the river until Allura and Coran called them back to be examined in the infirmary.

The journey back to the Castle of Lions was a blurry one. Keith could barely remember the pain that flared up every so often. The faces of the Drakonians that they passed were cloudy from the tears falling from his eyes. Keith could feel the gentle pats on his head from Pidge, who was carried in Hunk’s arms and the gentle touches from Hunk as he was guided towards the docked Castle.

Inside, Shiro met up with them and walked with the three to the infirmary. Pidge and Keith changed into dry clothes and were placed into the healing pods. Despite Keith sustaining more injuries than Pidge, he emerged first. Hunk and Shiro were waiting for him with food and fresh clothes.

Everything was on autopilot. Keith pulled on his clothes and ate Hunk’s cooking expressionless. The sound of the doors sliding open was what snapped his attention up. Allura, Coran, and Agla walked through the doors talking about the night’s events. Keith could see that the princess was frustrated.

“None of this makes sense!” Allura fumed, “Agla. You have mentioned before that the Galra feared your people because of your powers, yet they attacked and captured ten Drakonians. Tonight they attacked again, and not only did they succeed in capturing more of your people, they have taken our Blue Paladin!”

“Princess Allura,” Agla spoke calmly as she could, “I understand how furious it is for—”

“Quiet!” Allura yelled, then she took a breath and said calmly, “I am absolutely livid. I have reason to believe that you have withheld vital information that could have prepared and prevented this attack.”

Agla was shocked, “Princess, I do not understand. I have given you all information. There is nothing else that has been withheld from any of our meetings or conversations.”

“Allura is right.”

Everyone turned and they were met with Pidge bracing herself against the healing pod. Hunk rushed over and helped her sit down on the floor.

“Would you please explain, Pidge” Allura asked.

Pidge nodded and dismissed Hunk’s fussing, “Allura is right about the Drakonians keeping information from us, but the Drakonians also don’t know what information they are keeping.”

Coran tapped his chin in thought, “So, it wasn’t on purpose. The Drakonians just didn’t know.”

“Exactly,” Pidge pulled herself up and continued, “There is one common aspect whenever we liberated a planet from Galra control and that’s resources. Which brings us to the real question: what resources does Drakma have that the Galra want?”

Agla answered, “The only resources we have that is anywhere near value would be our crops! I highly doubt the Galra would want farm land!”

Keith stood up and grabbed his equipment. He had heard enough. With his belt clipped on and knife in place he spoke up.

“If the Drakonians don’t have answers, then that leaves the Galra who were left behind.” Keith began walking out of the room.

Shiro walked after him and held him back by the shoulder, “Keith, where are you going?”

Keith pushed Shiro’s hand off then said, “To talk with one of those Galra we captured.”

Shiro paled and decided to stay behind with both Coran and Hunk to see if he could help prepare a late night snack. Keith understood the Black Paladin’s decision due to him having flashbacks and not wanting a repeat of last time. Meanwhile, Pidge had replaced the jumpsuit with the usual sweater and shorts, then scurried after the rest of the team and the chieftain Agla. Together, the group made their way through the castle and down the elevator towards the holding cell. Agla had stopped them before they opened the final door to the small hallway of cells.

“I suggest plugging your ears,” the orange skinned woman said, “I had one of my best to keep the prisoners sedated with their voice.”

And they did. When Keith, Pidge, and Allura walked into the holding cell, there was a single Drakonian woman with deep brown skin. She was sitting on the floor with her talons curled underneath her and her eyes were glowing silver like Keith had seen during the performance. He could see small canines disappear every time the woman mouthed a syllable. Despite plugging his ears, he felt just as hypnotized as when Lance had been on stage.

“Aptera, please wait outside.” Agla asked.

The woman stopped humming, and her eyes returned to a hazel color. When she stood, the Drakonain was at least taller than Allura by two heads, bowed her head and left the room. The team approached the cell and found three Galra tied up and looking completely confused. In all honesty, Keith thought they looked drunk. After a few seconds, the prisoners had regained their senses and began snarling at the Paladins.

Keith was the first to speak, “Why are you attacking this planet?”

The Galra closest to Keith growled, gathered the saliva in his mouth and spat at his feet. He was large and bulky. The alien would have been terrifying had it not been for the large cat ears that protruded from the sides of his head.

“Well, that actually went better than I expected.” Pidge commented, “I thought he was going to insult you with words—spit works though.”

Keith grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, “Well, if one of them doesn’t start talking soon, I’m going to break their fingers.” Then he held eye contact with the Galra who spat at him. There was a strong urge to knock his teeth out.

“Keith you aren’t thinking long term…” Pidge said.

“Oh?” Keith looked at Pidge. He understood what she was doing and asked accordingly, “Then please, what are you thinking long term?”

Pidge grinned and pushed up her glasses. She crouched down in front of the first Galra and held eye contact while she spoke with Allura.

“Princess,” Pidge started, “Did you know what tickle torture is?”

Allura tilted her head, “I don’t think so.” Keith already knew where Pidge was going with her conversation; it was going to get very dark. Pidge smiled lovingly and made sure that her explanation was thorough for the princess.

“In ancient times, there were people called Romans. They had an unusual method of torture…” Pidge pointed down at the prisoner's feet and said, “The Romans would take their victim’s feet and dip them in salt, then a goat would be left with them to lick off the salt.”

The princess scrunched up her nose in disgust, “What is a goat? Why would this creature do this?”

“A goat is a domesticated farm animal,” Keith supplied, “Think of Kaltenecker, but smaller and with curved horns.” He wasn’t about to go into detail.

Pidge cleared her throat and explained, “You see princess, a goat’s tongue is...rough. And to have a goat continuously lick the salt would eventually tear the skin off of any victim…”

From the corner of Keith’s eye, he saw the princess hold herself from gagging and Agla stiffen from the explanation. He remembered reading about the ancient Romans a long time ago, to pass the time in the small desert shack. There was little mention of this torture, but he knew enough.

Pidge rested her chin on both hands and smiled at the Galra in front of her. The purple creature had been sweating profusely from listening to the young girl’s explanation. Keith couldn’t decide whether or not he should be proud that the small Paladin could make a mighty alien quiver before her, or be concerned for his life. He chose the first one and contributed to Pidge’s conversation.

“Hey Pidge,” Keith asked innocently, “How far would this go?”

“Well,” Pidge adjusted her glasses, and answered, “Goats have been known to expose the bone…”

And there it was. The three Galra listening to the explanation sucked in a small breath and squirmed. Keith felt a little guilty for enjoying this. Only a little; some fear never hurt the Galra. Keith wanted one more kick out of scaring them and since they didn’t know what a cow was…

“Well, we don’t actually have a goat…” Keith supplied.

And before the Galra could breathe a sigh of relief, Pidge continued the sentence, “But we do have a cow. And a cow’s tongue is much larger and rougher than a goat.”

Allura cleared her throat, “Well...if you two intend to do, uh, that…”

“No! No, wait!” The smallest of the Galra shouted. His ears twitched and folded against his head, “We’ll talk! I swear we’ll talk!”

Keith unfolded his arms and stood next to Pidge, “Then answer my first question: why are you attacking this planet?”

The smaller Galra gulped and looked towards the other two. They wore the same defeated looks. And so they explained. They had attacked the planet the first time under orders since their commander had started conquering this part of the Star System. Planet Drakma was in a perfect strategic position for constructing a Galran base, and the inhabitants were incredibly valuable.

“To have the ability to persuade any being into submission; to convince another with the mere whisper of a word is a powerful thing.” The largest Galra spoke, “Think of how easy it would be to have an entire planet kneel before you. The Galra Empire would be able to conquer and subdue any race within minutes.” The Galra eyed Agla and sneered, “Such powers are wasted on this race.”

The comment twisted Agla, but she composed herself. Agla’s talons clicked against the floor when she stepped forward. She bent down and held the Galra’s gaze and bared her teeth in suppressed anger.

“I believe you have misunderstood our powers,” Agla said, “We may be able to do such a thing, but our voice gives what others want and helps us convey what we cannot put into words. It all depends on the being who decides to listen…” Agla straightened herself and looked down at the Galra, “Our voice is a form of expression, of communication, not a tool for bloodshed. And although it may control others, it controls what is already there.”

“For example, I can sense there is hatred between you three,” Agla pointed at the three Galra, “I can sing of anger and jealousy, and you would merely act upon those emotions with vigor. So to even think of having one of my people sing an entire planet into submission would not only be ineffective, it would enhance the rebellion that is already there.”

Agla’s voice had slightly cracked, “You’re commander is incredibly stupid to have not realized that after he took my kin from me.” Agla bristled and as much as the chieftain wanted to tear them apart, she stormed out of the room.

Allura, Keith, and Pidge left. Outside Agla had asked Aptera to resume her post in front of the Galra prisoners and keep them sedated. When she turned to face them, her eyes were rimmed red and swollen from crying.

The orange Drakonian bowed her head, “I am deeply sorry. I did not know that our voice was the cause of this mess…”

Allura approached Agla, telling her to rise and said, “It is not your fault, Agla. I should apologize for my actions.” Allura lowered her head apologetically then continued, “But now we have the necessary information. All that is left is to save both our families.”

Although it was inspiring, Keith interrupted, “We can’t do that without their location. I doubt those Galra would know where the ship is.”

“Uh, quick question.” Pidge spoke up. All heads swiveled towards her and she asked, “I feel dumb for not realizing this sooner, but was Lance wearing his earpiece?”

Keith nodded his head, “Definitely.”

Pidge beamed and quietly thanked the universe, “If he still is, I can scan for a similar wavelength using our earpiece as a reference and narrow it down to a general area…”

Keith immediately screamed and waved his hands hysterically, “Pidge!” He couldn’t decide between picking her up and hugging her or yelling. He ended up extending his arms and balling his fists, trying to hold himself from doing something. It was frustrating and instead he ruffled his hair and contained a muffled scream.

“Wow, okay,” Pidge observed, “I’m gonna go grab my computer and start working in the hangers. Uh, you go tell everyone else?”

Keith bolted from the group and ran to the kitchen. They were getting Lance back, and when the Blue Paladin was back safely in the Castle of Lions, Keith was going to finish what he started.


	5. An Exotic Drakonian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big hello to everyone!  
> A quick warning before you start reading: there is a scene that may hint towards graphic things in the story's future. I do not plan on writing or doing any future chapters with this subject as it makes me a little uncomfortable. Besides, this story is about Lance and Keith, and Voltron's situation with Planet Drakma. Not only that, I believe that Lance is a strong character and he deserves that power (hence BAMF Lance). Again, thank you very much for the comments and kudos!

The Galra were staring at him, especially the tall and lanky one near the back of the group. Lance was already uncomfortable with the barren prison cell with only a purple transparent film separating him and the rest of the Galra. He was unsure where the other prisoners were taken to and the group of eyes on him were giving him the shivers. Maybe it was his clothes? He was still wearing the same outfit from the performance: sheer harem pants with black leggings underneath and the aqua halter top snug against his chest leaving his torso completely exposed. Oh no, maybe it was the clothes. Lance curled his arms around his stomach in embarrassment and backed a little further into the cell. The Galra moved as well, as if they were trying to get closer. He itched to bite back with words, but the piece of technology locked around his throat reminded him that talking was no longer an option.

Lance continued to stare at the group of Galra until all their ears perked up and began to scrabble, backing away from the front of his prison cell. There was a distinguished tapping noise that grew louder with each ring. Lance watched as a much larger Galra came into view and stopped in front of the cell. He was fully dressed in a black and orange armor. His face had a single scar running down over his left eye, giving it a darker yellow glow. But what really caught Lance’s attention was the constant glowing claws of his left hand. Was it an enhancement like Sendak’s arm? Like Shiro’s arm?

“So this is a male Drakonian…”

Drakonian? Lance gaped and stared at the large Galra standing just beyond the barrier; the alien thought he was a Drakonian. Lance couldn’t tell if this was terrible luck or not, but he was going to take it. Being mistaken for a Drakonian had much better chances than the enemy finding out he was a Paladin of Voltron. With that information, he might end up being handed off to the druids, or worse… 

Lance flinched away and burrowed further into the corner when the purple barrier was dropped and the one eyed Galra began to approach him. Two more Galra flanked the alien’s side and headed straight for Lance. He readied himself, and when the first Galra tried to make a grab at him, he dodged and charged the second. Just like he practiced in the training room, Lance used the Galra’s thigh as a stepping stone and wrapped his legs around the alien’s shoulders. He gripped as hard as he could and forcefully twisted the Galra’s head, then swung his body down to throw the alien off balance. With the Galra pinned beneath his thighs, Lance punched the Galra and knocked him out.

With one Galra out, Lance scurried to his feet and made a beeline for the lowered barrier. His escape was short lived, when the second Galra he dodged grasped the metal collar and pulled him back into the cell. He was thrown against the wall and he fell to his knees, gasping and coughing. The sudden movement in his throat must have registered as a sound because Lance felt the sudden pulse of electricity. His muscles twitched with each pulse as he silently screamed. When the waves subsided, Lance found himself looking at the large Galra crouched down next to him. The glowing claws reached out and Lance closed his eyes preparing himself for the pain. But it never came. Instead he felt the claws slip under his collar and he felt a pressure release; suddenly he could breathe easier. Did they remove the collar? Lance reached up with a shaky hand to check. Nope, still there.

The Galra must have seen his confusion and laughed, “I have learned from your species that males do not possess the same powers as women do. I am not too worried about you controlling my soldiers; after all a Siren without a voice is useless…” Lance grinned. This Galra really thought he was a Drakonian. His snickering was poorly concealed.

A growl could be heard, “Why do you laugh, boy?”

“What’s your name?” Lance asked confidently.

The large Galra grinned, “I am Zahir, Commander of this fleet.”

“Well then Zahir,” Lance smiled, “You have much to learn if you think a Siren without a voice is useless…”

Zahir growled and tugged Lance up by the metal collar pulling him close, “We’ll see about that.” The commander released his grip and dropped Lance, “Put the Drakonian with the rest of his species, we’ll need the holding cells for our next attack.”

And with that, Zahir exited the holding cell. A couple of the soldiers grabbed the unconscious Galra, while two stayed behind. They handcuffed his wrists and attached them to a long glowing cord. Lance was pulled up to his feet, by the same tall and lanky Galra who was staring at him earlier. The alien reminded him of Ulaz, from the Blade of Marmora, except for the buzzed undercut. Lance stumbled a few times as he was pulled through the hallways. His wrists were heavy from the shackles, but at least now he was able to talk. The commander didn’t see him as a threat and that was a big mistake.

Being thought as Drakonian could put Lance at an advantage. It would draw attention away from his identity as a Paladin and with the collar no longer prohibiting his ability to speak, he could plan with the other captured Drakonians. Lance was snapped out of his thoughts when he was roughly shoved into another holding cell. The shackles broke apart, but stayed locked around his wrists and the cord disappeared. When Lance turned, the barrier was put back in place and he watched as one of the Galra walked away. The tall lanky one stayed behind and stared at Lance for a minute. This one was giving him a weird feeling.

Lance sneered, then bit out, “See something you like?” The two stared at each other for a long time until the Galra spoke up.

“I am...Azul...you will be seeing me again.” The tall Galra turned away and walked out of sight. The bad vibes were back again.

“Lance!” The Blue Paladin was tackled and enveloped in a soft down. When he looked up, he was met with an orange skinned woman and large brown wings.

“Thelxi!” Lance shouted and he hugged the woman. In turn, Thelxi nuzzled her nose against the curls of Lance’s hair.

“Oh, I am so happy you are alright! I thought they were going to hurt you…” the alien sniffled and buried her nose deeper. Lance reassured her that he was alright and told her that the Galra had believed he was a Drakonian.

“If the Galra has mistaken you for our own, then we shall do the same young one.” Thelxi guided him towards the back of the cell where Lance was met with three more Drakonian women. Thelxi introduced him, “These are my sisters: Eukel and Euta, the twins, and Zena, the youngest.”

The twins really were identical in every way. They both had short curly brown hair that matched the dark scales on their legs. Between them was a smaller Drakonian, but still taller than Lance. She had wings just like Thelxi, and had long black hair that fell like silk against her brown skin. All three girls smiled and nodded their heads to Lance in greeting. He did the same and paused. How was Thelxi able to talk?

“Thelxi, let me see your collar,” Lance motioned for Thelxi to sit down and when she did, he moved her hair aside and began to fiddle with the collar. Hopefully, it was still the same collar that Pidge and Hunk were working on. When he found a damaged panel, he held his breath and pried it open. Inside there was a single black wire that had been cut.

“It’s the same collar. Hunk and Pidge disabled the collar’s functions, so you still have your powers. But you need to keep this a secret; I don’t think it’s a good idea to try and escape now without a plan…”

“So, I will stay silent until then. Do you have a plan?” Thelxi asked.

There was only one thing he could think of. He reached up and plucked the small earpiece and showed Thelxi, “This communication device is our best bet right now. Pidge is pretty good at tracking things down when it comes to technology.” Lance placed the earpiece back inside his ear canal, “Hopefully they won’t find it. I got to hand it to Pidge though, because the device blends right in with my skin color.”

Thelxi hummed, “I understand.” Lance replaced the panel and made sure it was secured before adjusting the collar and covering it with Thelxi’s hair.

Thelxi rose and addressed Lance, “So we bide our time. What shall we do in the meantime?”

“Survive,” Lance said grimly, “I don’t know what the Galra have in stored, but the best thing we can do is stick together. We can try and form a plan, but without any information we’re stuck.”

“Then we should rest, and hope for the best.”

So that’s what they did. All five huddled together with Thelxi and Zena using their wings to blanket them and hide them from reality. Beneath their wings, Eukel and Euta curled up next to Lance. Eukel had a similar attire to Lance with slit harem pants to show off the polished dark scales that wrapped down to her talons. Lance guess she was a little more open than her sister Euta because she began to bury her face into his brown locks. Euta on the other hand decided that hugging his arm was enough until she began to nod off and fell asleep against his shoulder.

This small group of women reminded him so much of his team. The twins reminded him of both Hunk and Pidge; sometimes Hunk would drape himself over Lance and hug him, while Pidge would shyly sneak in and lean against the two. Lance was sure that if he could talk with the twins, he would mostly likely get along with the sisters. Thelxi seemed to treat him similar to both Shiro and Allura. The Drakonian woman listened to him and his plans like Shiro did and treated him as family like Allura. There was even a little care and doting like how Coran would check up on the team every so often. Maybe he could sit down with her one day and ask to braid her beautiful hair. Lance smiled at the thought and his eyes wandered over to the youngest Drakonian. Zena seemed to mirror Keith’s determination and fighting spirit. He could see it in the young girl’s eyes as she scanned the hallway just outside the barrier then flicked back to her sisters hiding beneath her wings. Just seeing everyone like this gave Lance a warm safe feeling inside the cold holding cell.

Time passed and Lance had fallen asleep in the safe embrace of the twins. He dreamt of home and his family, then dreamt of his team and himself still back on Planet Drakma. Lance was dancing on stage with Keith laughing. He could still remember how soft and plump those lips were, and how he shivered against Keith’s chest when a hand ran up his spine. Lance really missed them, especially now. But his dreamscape began to dissolve when he heard muddled shouting and yelling.

Lance jerked and his eyes snapped open. He was being dragged away from his safety. When he looked around, Thelxi was pinned down by two Galra while the twins and Zena were herded into a corner and held at gunpoint. There was a growl that grabbed Lance’s attention and he looked up from where he was slumped on the floor. Azul was towering over him.

“The commander wishes to see you. Resist, and we will harm the others.” Azul said.

Hesitantly, Lance scooted back. He kept his eyes on the Galra, Azul, as the alien closely watched Lance rise to his feet. Azul’s eyes seemed to flick to every corner of Lance’s body, and it made him self-conscious that he was being watched. Slowly, the Galra reached out and tapped the two metal bracelets and the handcuffs began to hum. The magnetism glued his wrists together and once again the glowing cord was attached to the shackles. Azul pulled him from the prison cell and once he was outside, the rest of the Galra followed and dropped the force field before any of the women could attack them. Whatever was going to happen, Lance was on his own.

Azul lead the way with Lance following close behind and a few more Galra behind him holding their plasma guns. He felt small compared to the Galra, and the thought made him hunch his shoulders as he tried his best to hide from any wandering eyes. The group took several turns that Lance couldn’t keep track of until they stopped in front of a large metal door. Before entering, the soldiers were dismissed by Azul and when it was just the two of them, the tall Galra looked directly at Lance.

“You best answer and not anger the Commander.” Azul says softly. It was strange when he said those words, as if there was a hint of worry in his voice.

Before Lance could question why Azul sounded so gentle, he was ushered past the solid doors sliding open and then guided to the middle of the room. It must have been the control room. Holo-screens littered every space available and there was a clear glass window viewing the vast emptiness of the galaxy. There were at least five other soldiers in the room attending to whatever panels and one of them Lance recognized as Zahir.

The commander turned around and grinned, “Ah, yes. I almost forgot I sent for the Drakonian…” Zahir raised his hand and signaled for the soldiers to leave the room. Lance slightly panicked. He didn’t want to be alone with the commander.

“Azul,” Zahir called. The Galra turned at attention and waited, “Stay. I think you’ll find this interesting.” Azul nodded and stayed put with his shoulders squared and his hands tucked behind his back.

After Zahir was done addressing Azul, he turned his attention to Lance. Before walking over, Zahir brought up a small holo-screen and tapped some buttons. With the last button pushed, the glowing cord attached to the handcuffs pulsed and came to life, whipping out and connecting to the floor. The sudden movement caused Lance to squeak, and he began to furiously tug against the cord. But it was too strong, and the closer Zahir stepped towards Lance, the more he leaned back to get away from the Galra. Damn it, no. Zahir reached out and grabbed Lance’s jaw with the prosthetic claws and the boy flinched. Those claws were incredibly close to his skin and he could feel the heat radiating. He couldn’t help the pathetic whine that escaped his throat.

“I honestly don’t give a damn what your name is,” Zahir tilted the young Paladin’s head left and right. The commander release his grip then slowly circled around Lance as he continued to talk, “Prisoner M343A2 is honestly too long to say in conversation…” Lance felt the glowing claws trace his back muscles threatening to pierce his skin and he shuddered when he felt the commander’s breath against his ear, “But I always name the most intriguing prisoners who catch my eye—”

Lance didn’t want to hear anymore. He tightened his muscles and jumped as high as he could, driving his shoulder straight into the commander’s throat. Using the cord embedded in the ground to counter balance himself, Lance kicked Zahir’s rib cage making the Galra stumble backwards. Zahir was breathing heavily with one hand at his throat and another cradling his torso.

Lance scoffed and addressed Zahir, “Maybe you should take me to dinner first. I can’t exactly start calling you ‘babe’ if we haven’t even kissed.”

Zahir looked up and roared. He marched up to Lance and grabbed him by his throat. The Blue Paladin gasped and choked, desperately trying to free his hands from the handcuffs and cord securing him in place. The metal collar dug into his skin. He wanted to kick at the Galra, but he was incredibly scared. Damn him and his big mouth. Lance was flirting with death. When he saw Zahir raise his prosthetic claws ready to strike, Lance braced himself and closed his eyes.

“Commander Zahir—”

“WHAT!” Zahir whipped his head towards the only other Galra in the room. Azul had not flinched when he interrupted.

“Commander, may I suggest the Trophy Room?” Azul’s expression was solid as his yellow eyes flicked between Lance and Zahir.

Zahir release his grip and Lance slumped coughing and hacking, “Why do you suggest that, soldier?”

Azul straightened and explained, “I have found that the Drakonians we captured value this one. He is their center.”

Zahir irritably huffed, “Your point, soldier?”

“Break him, and the others will follow.”

Lance choked and stared disbelieving at the Galran soldier. What were they going to do? Maybe being mistaken as a Drakonian was the wrong way to go. No matter what they were going to torture him. He needed to calm down and think clearly, he had to get out of this. One way or another he had to survive until he came up with a plan or his team found him. Stay strong, Lance thought, you can do this. The young Paladin dug his nails into the palm of his hands to keep himself from visibly trembling; he was not going to let the Galra have the satisfaction of scaring him.

Zahir gave a dark chuckle and replied, “An excellent idea,” Zahir looked down at Lance and grinned, “An exotic prize for the winning Galra soldier in our tournament.”

“T-tournament?” Lance stuttered, “You mean like the arena?”

Zahir laughed and answered, “I see you have heard of the Gladiator fights, but no. My fleet holds a tournament to see who is the strongest. The winner gets to choose whatever they please from the Trophy Room: weapons, wealth, power…” Zahir pulled Lance up by his collar and pulled him close then whispered, “...even a useless Drakonian.” Lance felt the blood drain from his face. He was too shocked to even realize that the cord connected to the metal floor was released and being tugged by Azul. All he could hear was a loud laughter ringing in his ears as he exited the control room. They made their way down the hallways, Lance could only stare blankly at the ground. This was really happening wasn’t it. He looked up at Azul who was guiding him back towards the holding cells.

“Why?” Lance choked out.

Azul stopped and he stood with his back to Lance. The Galra was silent for a moment before he turned and looked at Lance and said in a quiet voice, “Perhaps I was feeling a tad bit selfish…”

Lance fumed and nearly yelled, “You want me for yourself?! That’s why you suggested that; to win this tournament and have me for yourself!”

Azul snarled, then grabbed Lance and pinned him against a wall. The Galra growled and spoke with a gravely rough voice, “I did it to spare you from the experiments, from the needles and the dissection!” Lance went quiet. He couldn’t figure this Galra out. Not too long ago, Azul pulled him away from the women and threw him to the wolves, and now he was saying he spared him? Lance watched as Azul slowly pulled away from him then stared down at him with sadness.

“I understand how you must feel, but know that I did this for a reason…” Azul slightly bowed his head. Now the alien was apologizing. Lance was confused, but he was happy knowing that he would not be going to the druids. Still, what Azul had done was something that made Lance frustrated and angry.

Lance calmly addressed Azul with a stern expression, “I know not all Galra are bad,” Azul’s flesh ears perked up and looked at Lance as he continued, “But how can I believe that you had good intention. I don’t even want to THINK of what will happen now that you thrown me to the wolves—”

“What are wolves?” Azul asked.

Lance paused mid-sentence and stared at Azul. Seriously? This was happening right now? Lance was a prisoner posing as an alien race he had only just met a couple days ago, then had been offered up as some congratulatory object by this tall intimidating Galra, and now he was being asked what a wolf was by said Galra. This honestly shouldn’t have surprised Lance, but it did. The Paladin sighed heavily and dragged his cuffed hands down his face.

“This is ridiculous…” Lance whispered defeated.

Azul lightly pulled on the cord to grab Lance’s attention then said, “I knew that suggesting the Trophy Room would spare you from the druids, but I also planned to participate in the tournament to spare you from the other Galra.” After Azul finished, he gently pushed Lance down the hallway and towards the holding cell.

Lance looked at the Galra skeptically, “What makes you better than the other Galra?”

“Would the other Galra have taken their time to speak with you?” Azul asked.

He had a point. The two had made it to the holding cell with the rest of the Drakonians. Almost immediately the four women jumped to their feet and prepared themselves to attack the lone Galra. Instead, Azul detached the cord from the handcuffs, then tapped the metal rings to disconnect the magnetism. The action confused Lance enough for Azul to gently push him through the force field. Lance looked up and touched the film experimentally, but his hand didn’t faze through.

“It is a one way barrier.” Azul supplied.

“Don’t change the subject,” Lance retorted, “You haven’t given me enough reason to trust you.”

Azul hung the cord on the opposite wall, then returned to Lance and said, “I believe you have yet to answer my first question.”

“And what’s that?” Lance asked curiously.

Azul looked down shyly, then back to Lance and asked, “What are wolves?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance's predicament look pretty grim, but there is hope. And what about the Galra, Azul? He's acting a bit strangely compared to the other Galra...


	6. Thinking of You, Searching for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to "Exotic"!  
> I know I say this every chapter, but thank you for the views, comments, and kudos! I like how everyone immediately suspects Azul and I'm glad that happened. Anyways, the adventure continues...

Keith lay sprawled out on the floor of the hanger with one hand pillowing his head and another holding his Galran knife up to the light. Just above his head were scattered wires connected to the castle, the Green Lion, and Pidge’s laptop. He didn’t have to tilt his head back to see Pidge working hard because he could hear the vigorous tapping of keys under her swift fingers. Not too far off was Coran whistling a gentle tune as he organized the mess around Pidge’s workspace without disturbing her unique way of categorizing her items. Keith knew that Hunk was in the kitchen preparing their lunch while Shiro and Allura combed through the database contacting any allied forces nearby. It had been about three days since Lance’s capture. Everything had gone so horribly within the first day they arrived on Planet Drakma. 

Keith tilted his knife and stared at the gleaming edge as he recounted the last three days. Their first day was incredibly eventful, as Keith had spent most of the day with Lance despite not striking up a conversation. Then they had entered the festive area of the village and as the day bled into the night, Lance was invited to dance on stage. Keith didn’t deny the fact that he was looking forward to Lance performing on stage as he had heard from Hunk—and a little bit from Pidge—that Lance was an amazing dancer. And they were right. Lance was absolutely stunning and exotic. When Keith had first seen Lance move his hips like some belly dancer, his first thoughts were how those hips would feel under his fingers while they bounced. Very sensual he imagined.

Just as the performance had ended, Shiro had gone and given him the idea to walk Lance back to the guest house. He had to thank Shiro for that idea because not only was Keith able to hold Lance in his arms and caress his soft body, he had gotten an unforgettable kiss. That night had been perfect: the night was chilly, but the air was warm. Lance was still wearing those flamboyant clothes and Keith was pressed up between that sweet boy’s legs kissing him tenderly. But then they heard the explosions and the Galra were attacking. He vividly remembered Lance trying to fight off the Galra without his bayard, and he watched helplessly as the Blue Paladin was electrocuted then thrown into a cage on the back of one of the airships.

That same night after the team had made a speedy recovery with the cryo-pod, everyone got to work. Allura had gone back with Agla to prepare any supplies that would be needed for when they left the planet to search for their missing families. The princess, along with Coran, ended up spending the night on the planet. Shiro stayed up scanning and filing through the holo-screens in the control room, researching the rest of the planets in the general vicinity until his eyes hurt and he shut down the screen to wander the castle halls until he felt sleepy. Keith ended up helping Hunk and Pidge set up wires in the hanger. He was tasked with climbing over the Green Lion like an insect holding several wires, while Hunk instructed him which wires they were going to connected.

That first night carried onto the second day which was filled with more searching and departing from Planet Drakma. As much as Agla wanted to volunteer and accompany the team on their voyage, she was the chieftain of their village. But before the team left, she offered to keep the three Galra prisoners with her people under a sedated mind until their return or until one of the allied forces came by to pick up the prisoners. Allura had thanked her and told Agla that it would give her peace of mind knowing that there were no Galra on her ship. Keith may have snorted when she said that, and upon hearing the sound, Allura apologized to him, embarrassed.

Unfortunately, the second day yielded no whereabouts of their missing Blue Paladin or the Drakonian women. The day ended with everyone collapsing from mental fatigue and exhaustion. At some point, Keith and Pidge had to support Hunk as they walked him back to his room. The Yellow Paladin had silently cried himself to sleep mumbling to both himself and the others that they would find Lance no matter what. The third day wasn’t any better.

Keith could do nothing anymore, other than get anything Pidge asked for and occasionally checking up on his teammates. The constant anxiety building up in his chest caused him to bounce back and forth between each person, until Coran told him to lie down and take a breather. Keith wasn’t thinking about going to his room and instead plopped down right where he stood. For the past couple of hours, Keith quietly shifted around and resorted to looking at his knife. His thoughts wandered between that delicious night with Lance and how the boy was doing at this very moment. Was he holding up fine and waiting for the team to rescue him? Did he have a plan and already escape? Oh please no, where they torturing the poor boy? Keith hoped that Lance was safe, but the dark thoughts kept coming back. He was starting to have difficulty breathing.

The knife seemed to creak under his tightened grip. Keith gripped his black shirt with his free hand trying to regulate his breathing, but it wasn’t working. He was just too angry, too frustrated and scared that he flipped his knife in his hand and stabbed in straight through the floor. That caught the attention of both Coran and Pidge.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Coran wailed as he waved his hands hysterically, “This may be a battleship, but it’s still 10,600 years old!” Keith ignored him and turned on his side, curling in on himself and holding his chest tighter. The heavy feeling and labored breaths weren’t subsiding.

“Keith?” Pidge had left her station and knelt down next to the Red Paladin, “Hey, are you doing okay? What’s wrong—”

“My chest hurts...I-It hurts to breathe,” Keith said quietly then added, “A couple of my fingers feel numb, like there’s no blood…”

Pidge immediately began to pull him up into a sitting position then said, “I think that’s the beginnings of a panic attack. Anxiety attack?”

“Oh,” Keith’s hands were trembling now.

The Green Paladin took her friend’s hands and removed his gloves so she could massage them and spoke in a gentle voice, “Okay, I’ve never done this before, but nothing a little breathing exercises and hugs can’t cure right?”

Keith nodded and listened to Pidge directing him and massaging his numb fingers. Pidge went down the list: five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Keith listed them all down while his eyes drifted around the hanger. When Pidge had deemed Keith to be fine, she looped her arms around his neck and hugged him. Keith hugged her back mumbling a quiet thanks.

“It’s no problem,” Pidge leaned back and sat with her legs tucked underneath her then said, “Lance taught me how to do the breathing exercise.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, “Lance taught you?”

“Yeah,” Pidge replied, “He taught Shiro too. I think, once, Lance found Shiro panicking and he walked him through it.” The thought of Lance taking care of the team made Keith smile.

The sound of the metal door opening interrupted their thoughts. When Keith and Pidge looked up, they found Hunk wearing a white apron and matching oven mitts to protect his hands from the hot tray.

“Hey guys, so I think I figured out how to make cookies with all the alien ingredients—they should be pretty soft. Not like the blue cookies I made before.” Hunk walked up to both Paladins and crouched down to show them his creation. The first thing that registered was how brilliantly pink the cookies were. But the smell of something freshly baked with vanilla convinced Keith to quizzically pick one up.

Keith took a bite then looked at Hunk and said, “It tastes like lemons…”

Pidge picked one up next taking a large bite. She finished eating the entire thing before speaking and praising Hunk, “I never thought I would miss the taste of sweet and sour.” Everyone laughed.

“So,” Hunk began, “What happened here?” The Yellow Paladin pointed at the embedded knife.

“Nothing,” Keith wiggled the knife and pulled it out of the ground, “Just frustrated.”

Hunk decided to change the subject, “Alright then. Can you check on Shiro and Allura? Tell them I made cookies, and that lunch is ready.”

Keith nodded and sheathed his knife. As Keith left the room, he could hear Coran complimenting Hunk on his food and asking if he could bake with him next time. Getting to the main control room where Allura piloted the castleship was quite easy, but he also ended up passing by everyone’s rooms. It was automatic when he stopped in front of Lance’s room, not fully facing the electronic door. He stared at it for a while, hoping to see the cheerful boy walk out of his room. But when nothing happened, Keith sighed and moved along heading to where Allura and Shiro were.

When Keith arrived, he found Allura standing at the podium, both hands resting on the controls with a large screen in front of her eyes. Every now and then, another screen would pop up and disappear after five seconds. Next to Allura sat Shiro, legs crossed and leaning up against one of the control columns with a holo-screen in hand. His left hand was constantly tapping and swiping the screen, until he picked up another device displaying a second holo-screen.

“Shiro, Allura,” Shiro looked up from where he was sitting while Allura spun around with her hair swaying behind her. “Hunk said lunch is ready.” Keith paused, then added, “He also made cookies? Lemon cookies.”

“I suppose we should pause to eat lunch.” Allura mumbled.

Shiro rose to his feet and stretched his back then said, “How about we walk over together.”

Keith nodded and said nothing. He watched as Allura passed him first. The princess was still wearing her sleepwear with a robe thrown over her shoulders. Riding in the pockets of her robe and on her shoulder were the four space mice that had slept in the cryo-pod with her. As Keith followed the princess out of the room, Shiro clapped him on the back then ruffled his hair. Keith looked up and saw the bags under the Black Paladin’s eyes, as if the skin had begun to sink in. Shiro was sporting his long-sleeve again without the vest. He had resorted to using his old clothes as sleepwear.

Together the three of them made their way to the kitchen where Hunk and Coran were setting up the plates and Pidge was already stuffing her face. Together, everyone ate in strained silence. Only the sound of crunching and silverware lightly clattering could be heard.

Coran was the first to speak, “So what did everyone find today?”

Pidge answered, “I’m trying to stay positive when I say this: I’ve eliminated places that Lance would NOT be found in.”

“I could say the same for us,” Shiro pointed to himself and Allura, then said, “We’ve contacted the other planets within the vicinity asking about Galra ships and prisoners. As far as we’re concerned, the Galra have left this star system and used a wormhole to get to another one.”

“I’ve, uh, contacted the Balmerans and spoke with the Arusians,” Hunk said next, “They haven’t seen anything in their star system, but would contact us if anything popped up.”

Again, everyone was quiet. Keith pushed the food around in his plate and slowly ate the small particles of what he thought was vegetables. When he looked up, he was startled to see that everyone was looking at him expectantly.

Keith sighed heavily and said, “I haven’t found anything either. I’ve asked the Blade of Marmora for help, but Kolivan says there’s nothing to report…”

After Keith’s words trailed off, Coran and Hunk collected all the dishes and began to clean. Pidge immediately ran off towards the hangers to continue searching, while Allura tiredly walked back to the control room to continue scanning. Just outside the kitchen, Keith was stopped by Shiro.

“Are you doing okay?” Shiro asked.

Keith dryly laughed, “Should I lie or be honest?”

Shiro smiled, “I think honesty is the way to go.”

Keith sighed again and dragged his hands down his face, then said, “I kinda had a small panic attack earlier, and I feel completely useless right now.” Keith looked up and saw Shiro patiently waiting for Keith to continue, “I mean, Pidge is doing a wide-range scan using the earpiece, Allura and you were searching nearby planets and probably other star systems, Hunk made us lunch, and I’m pretty sure Coran has been picking up after us and keeping us sane—I feel like I should be doing something, but even the Blade has no information for us! I just...I’m so useless right now, and it’s eating me up…”

Next thing Keith knows, he enveloped in a warm hug. The distinct contrast between Shiro’s metal prosthetic and flesh arm could be felt against his back. It took a minute for Keith to realize that he should hug Shiro back, and when he did, it felt comforting.

“Everything will be fine,” Shiro said. His voice was muffled from being burrowed in his hair. “I know that right now everything seems bleak, but we can do this. And I want you to know that you shouldn’t feel useless. You may not know this now, but having contact with the Blade has made our search significantly easier.”

Shiro pulled away and slung his arm around Keith’s shoulders, “Don’t think that you’re useless Keith, because I’m absolutely sure that no one else thinks that.”

Just as Shiro finished his sentence, they were met with both Coran and Hunk. Coran waved them off, telling them he would be keeping the princess company in the control room. That left Keith, Shiro, and Hunk to walk back to the hanger where Pidge was working. So they walked back together listening to Hunk plan their dinner. However, when they entered the hanger they weren’t prepared to see Pidge jumping up and down and wildly pointing at her computer silently yelling. The three of them continued to watch in amusement as Pidge closed her eyes and began twirling around as she jumped, then stopped and fist pumped. When the young girl turned around and saw the three of them, she was nowhere near embarrassed. Instead she started charging them and screamed.

“I’m the best! I’m a genius! Fear my technological powers!” Pidge screamed as she jumped up and tackled Keith. The sudden weight threw Keith backwards and in attempt to balance himself, he pulled both Hunk and Shiro down with him.

Pidge sat up, smiled, then yelled, “I found him!” Her arms shot up in celebration.

Everyone cheered and began hugging Pidge. Keith wrapped his arms around her torso and squeezed. Hunk’s large arms circled around the both of them and he started sniffling, while Shiro joined in and ruffled Pidge’s messy hair. Once everyone was done, they stood up and Pidge placed her hands on her hips.

“It’s not an exact location due to how weak the signal is, but I have which star system they’re in. Once we wormhole over there, I can get a stronger connection and track our blue boy down—”

A loud popping noise interrupted Pidge. When she turned around to look, the large box connected to her laptop was releasing black smoke with a couple sparks flying. She frantically ran over and began disconnecting all the wires. She shouted at Hunk to disconnect the rest of the wires while Keith and Shiro tried their best to stop the machine from smoking. After the machine stopped smoking and all the wires disconnected Pidge stared at it with her mouth slightly gaping.

“Pidge?” Shiro spoke up, “What happened?”

Hunk answered him instead, “It’s possible that the machine overheated and short circuited.”

Keith wasn’t sure what that meant, but the sound of sniffing caught his attention. He turned and saw Pidge trembling. The young girl had her fists balled and she was biting her lip to keep from crying, but tears were already falling. Keith watched as Pidge took a giant sniff and took off her glasses. She tried to clean the lenses with her sweater, but the tears kept covering them.

Keith walked up to her and placed a hand on her back, “Pidge? What’s wrong? What happened?”

Pidge’s words came in short burst after every hiccup, “The machine...it helped scan...without it...I can’t...find Lance…” The young girl sank to her knees and let loose a shrill scream. When she was done, she quietly cried and began wiping her eyes with her sleeves. Keith knelt down next to her and carefully hugged Pidge and rested his chin on her head. The Red Paladin said nothing and only waited for Pidge to gather herself.

Shiro spoke up, “Do you remember the name of the star system? Before the machine gave out?”

Pidge sniffed and looked up at Shiro, “I think so…” The young girl stood up and walked over to her laptop and peered at the screen, “Auzeron Star System.”

“Okay, so we have a general location of where Lance is,” Shiro said, “That more than enough and instead of searching other star systems, we can focus on this one.”

Pidge turned and looked at Shiro again, “But what if we’re too late? The Galra could leave the Auzeron Star System before we can even pinpoint Lance’s exact location—we don’t even know how big the Auzeron Star System is! There could be twenty planets and it would take us days just to scan two—”

“PALADINS!!! To the control room, immediately!” Everyone jumped at the sudden call over the speakers, but they rushed to the control room. When they entered, Allura and Coran were staring at a large holo-screen displaying a video feed. It was Kolivan.

“Greetings, Paladins of Voltron.” Kolivan said as he nodded his head.

Keith rushed over to the screen and questioned the Blade Leader, “Did you find him? What did you find?”

“Keith, let the man talk.” Shiro scolded.

Keith took a step back and waited beside Hunk and Shiro, while Pidge ran up to Allura and told her which star system Lance and the other prisoners were located. Allura clapped her hands and hugged Pidge, while Coran twirled his mustached and commemorated her discovery.

“The Auzeron Star System…” Everyone turned and waited as they listened to Kolivan speak, “I believe your information as matched up with what we received—”

“You found Lance?!” Keith yelled happily.

Kolivan nodded his head, “I believe so. The Blade of Marmora received a delayed message that should have arrived earlier. It states that a group of aliens were captured and registered into the prisoner logs: four female Drakonians and one male Drakonian.”

“Kolivan,” Allura began, “I believe you said the information matched. What we’re looking for is one Earthling and a total of fourteen female Drakonians.”

“No, Kolivan is right.” Keith said excitedly.

Allura turned and looked at Keith quizzically then stated, “But Kolivan did not say there was an Earthling among the prisoners.”

Keith crossed his arms and reasoned, “That’s true, but do you remember what Lance was wearing?”

Hunk laughed, “I think you remember the most.”

“Oh yeah, definitely. Lance slayed Keith from the stage.” Pidge added.

Keith covered his face with his hands and groaned. Those were not the answers he was looking for. Luckily, Shiro gave him a break.

“It kind of looked like a belly dancer, but the Drakonians called it the traditional garb...oh,” Shiro snapped his fingers and pointed at Keith then answered, “The male Drakonian is Lance! The Galra think he’s a Drakonian.”

“Finally,” Keith mumbled and looked up at Kolivan, “So that means Lance is with the four Drakonians, and hopefully the other ten. We need to start planning and get him and the rest of the prisoners out of there.” Everyone hummed in agreement.

“We have already traced the location of the message, I will send the coordinates now.” Kolivan’s head swiveled as he tapped the screen from his side of the video.

Allura tapped several buttons along the bottom of the holo-screen while she talked, “Kolivan, I would like to request your assistance on this mission,” When she was done tapping the screen, she paused and looked at Kolivan, “Without our Blue Paladin, Voltron is incomplete. Without Lance, our family is incomplete. Without him, my team cannot function without flaws. Will you help us?”

Kolivan stared blankly through the screen and completely silent, until finally, the rebel Galra nodded his head and replied, “The Blade of Marmora will assist you, Princess Allura. However, I must request that Keith goes under the guise of a Blade member to assist me with this mission.”

“May I inquire as to why?” Allura asked.

Kolivan nodded his head once more and answered, “To assassinate the commander of the fleet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The team has located Lance and the rest of the Drakonians with the help of Pidge and the Blade of Marmora. But Kolivan wants Keith to represent the Blade and sport the Marmoran suit once again...to assassinate the commander?! What is Kolivan planning?


	7. Compromising Positions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt so accomplished writing Chapter 7 because of its contents. I gotta say, I had to be a little careful about who was peeking over my shoulder as I wrote this. Anyways, thank you again for all the views, the comments, and the kudos. I know that I don't really reply to any comments, but I do want everyone to know that I read them. I just can't figure out what to type as a reply.

Three days had passed before Lance was taken from his prison cell and separated from the rest of the women. He found his wrists bound once again with the magnetized cuffs and connected to the glowing cord. At the other end of the cord was an unfamiliar Galra tugging him along and pulling him to a different part of the ship. As they walked through the ship, several Galra had passed them and each time they eyed Lance up and down like he was a meal. It made him sick and it made his skin prickle and crawl. One of the Galra actually had the audacity to try and feel him up. It was the smallest of touches against his lower back, but the feeling made him flinch. Out of pure reflex, Lance turned and kicked the Galra straight in the ribs. The alien yelped and stumbled backwards, but Lance didn’t stop there. If someone asked him what had driven him to keep attacking that single Galra, he would answer “fear”. He was so incredibly scared that it drove him to fight back, because he wanted to live. He wanted to live and see his home again...to see his team again.

Lance was forcefully pulled away and dragged across the floor with his arms stretched high above his head. Soon they entered a room that seemed to be a little more luxurious than the prison cells. He was tossed towards the center of the room and pinned to the ground by the Galra. The cord was removed and his cuffs snapped apart like usual. When the Galra finally released him, Lance scrambled away and took a fighting stance.

The Galra snarled then growled, “There is a bath and clothes in the next room. Be ready by tomorrow or we kill the Drakonian women you came with.” Without any further explanation, the alien left.

Lance was frozen in his stance as the alien left. He continued to stare at the door for a minute until he realized what the Galra had just said. Did they want him to pamper himself? No, they wanted him presentable to the winner of the tournament. The Blue Paladin looked around the room he was thrown into. The ceiling was a little higher than his room back in the Castle of Lions and there was a large canopy bed decorated with black sheets. At the foot of the canopy bed was a short wardrobe made of metal similar to the rest of the room. In all honesty, he would have checked the wardrobe but the bathroom was pulling at his curiosity.

Just behind Lance was another metal door that slid open when it sensed his presence. He stepped through the door to look around. The first thing he spotted was the bathtub and in all honesty it was an incredibly giant bowl. It reminded him of expensive hotel rooms that decorated the showers with obsidian or onyx. Just above the bath was a shower head and Lance could only imagine how amazing the water would feel as it beat down and massaged his back. Pushed up against the opposite end was a clear glass shower and a sink that held numerous bottles and a stack of clothing.

Lance decided that he was completely done with everything. In his mind, he threw everything out the window and said “whatever”, then sighed heavily. His muscles were aching badly and he had not taken a shower in several days; he was pretty sure he still had dirt and sweat from his dance on Planet Drakma.

Slowly and carefully, Lance reached behind his neck to undo the tie then proceeded to cross his arms and pull the halter top over his head. It was a little difficult with the Galra collar, but the halter slipped passed. He let it drop to the floor, then began to remove the sash around his hips. The material fluttered to the ground and he stepped away from it, leaving his pants to hang dangerously passed his hips. Lance walked over to the bathtub bowl then leaned back so he could hook the hole of the pants off his feet. He began to look around for any soap and shampoo to use, and found a tray next to the tub hidden under its height. The tray had several bottles and a small remote. Curiously, Lance pressed the button and jumped when the shower head above began to rain.

Lance contained a small moan and quickly stripped from his boxer briefs. He reached for the remote once more and began to play around with the buttons, finding that he could adjust the temperature. Before Lance walked under the water, he removed the earpiece fearing it would short circuit in the water. With everything ready, Lance began his usual routine: shampooing, conditioning, and washing. He washed twice around the collar and the handcuffs since it was hard to get underneath the offending metal. When he was done, he pushed down on the small drain to plug the bathtub and it began to slowly fill with hot water. Lance turned the shower head off once the tub had been filled and kicked back and let a long relieving sigh escape his lips. It had been a long time since he felt this clean.

Only his head was visible above the water. He tilted his head back and let his hair drip over the edge, the collar digging into the back of his neck. He thought about everyone and wondered how they were doing. Were they looking for him? He eyed the small earpiece sitting on the tray and wondered. Was Pidge able to track him down with the device, or was he too far? The sudden thought of not being found scared him. Lance could feel a knot form in his throat and he choked back a cry. He lifted his hands and let the water pour over his face thinking that the water would somehow wash away the oncoming tears. But it didn’t work. When he sniffed, it echoed in the bathroom and it made him uncomfortably alone. Instead, he silently cried with the palms of his hands pushed up against his eyes and his mouth open to breathe. Every now and then, a small hiccup left his lips as he tried to bite down to stifle any sounds.

After Lance had calmed himself down, he decided that he stayed in the bath for too long. He stepped out completely drenched and dripping. A giant puddle was starting to form under his feet as he looked around the room for a towel, but there was nothing. The Blue Paladin shrugged and began to wipe most of the water with his hands, gliding them over his skin then shaking his hands to get rid of the excess water. It worked for the most part. He could still feel water trailing down his body from his hair and small droplets caressing his back and legs. Walking around naked made him hyper aware of his surroundings, so he quickly walked over to the sink to see what clothes the Galra had left him.

The first article of clothing wasn’t so bad. It was a halter top just like the previous one, except it had too many strings weaving around each other. The strings left the back completely open as the material weaved lower. It clicked in his head that the string was meant to be weaved across his torso. Never mind. The idea made his cheeks flare because it was bordering some dangerous ideas. The second piece made him a blushing mess as he threw the offending item back onto the countertop. It was honestly just a strip of long cloth that would only cover his front and back, completely exposing all of his leg and a teasing glimpse of his ass. What made it worse was the underwear. It was only string, where was the rest of the material?! The icing on the cake was that everything was a royal purple with a hint of black.

Lance stared at the offending outfit and willed it to burst into flames only to feel the heat rise in his cheeks. Was he really suppose to wear such a scandalous thing? The idea made his knees weak and he crumpled to the ground mortified and embarrassed. Damn the Galra! If Lance wasn’t their prisoner and forced to be a prize, he would actually compliment them. But because he was going to wear them, it was a different story.

The Blue Paladin came to a conclusion: wash his old clothes and let them dry while he wore the bed sheets in the next room. Nodding his head, he pulled himself up and walked back over to the tray that held the earpiece. As he tucked the piece back into the entrance of his ear canal, he heard the bathroom door slide open.

The first thing that registered was a growl. Lance turned and found a Galra standing in the doorway looking directly at him. He cursed and grabbed the closest thing—the bar of soap—and threw it at the Galra. It landed square against the alien’s face. Lance continued to yell and throw more items at the Galra, moving from the tray to the sink to grab more bottles. The Galra was walking closer until finally Lance was on the last bottle and he turned around to throw it. The bottle was raised high above his head when his wrist was grasped. His back was pushed up against the sink and a forearm pushed under his jaw, pinning him further past the edge making his spine curve obscenely far. A leg pushed up between his thighs and he violently jerked when he felt cold metal make contact against his member. Oh damn, if this was Keith—nope, not now sexy thoughts.

“Are you done throwing things?” Lance’s eyes snapped open; the voice had been familiar. He looked up at the Galra starring him down intently. The ears were twitching against the buzzed undercut hairstyle, and the alien’s face was slightly darker either from being hit with the soap or for another reason entirely.

“Azul?!” Lance shouted.

The Galra scoffed, “Yes. Who else did you think it was?”

Lance used his free hand and began pushing Azul away by his face while yelling, “Like this is any better! Get off—”

Azul pulled Lance’s wrist together making the handcuffs snap into place. The bottle in hand was forgotten and clattered against the sink when Azul bent Lance’s arms back and over his head with a single hand. The sudden position they were in was making Lance’s head spin when suddenly Azul’s free hand harshly gripped his jaw and twisted his head to the side.

Azul snarled, “You are not a Drakonian.”

Lance paled. They figured it out. The young Paladin began to panic and began to wildly kick his legs out. But Azul wasn’t having it. The Galra released his hold on Lance’s jaw then snaked his hand around a thigh to lift him up onto the countertop. He pinned his wrists against the wall. Azul leaned in close and in that moment Lance tightly shut his eyes. But nothing happened, except for a distinct sniffing sound.

“You have a different scent compared to the other Drakonians—one that I recognize from a long time ago…” Azul leaned in closer and slowly buried his nose into the crook of Lance’s neck.

Everything about their situation was making Lance uncomfortably aroused. He didn’t want it to happen, but it was obviously happening. Azul was nestled between his thighs and flush against his bare chest, nuzzling his neck while his wrists were cuffed and pinned above him. Someone either needs to kill him or help him, because Lance was internally screaming.

His attention snapped back to Azul when the Galra spoke, “Are you...human? An Earthling?” Lance couldn’t nod his head because Azul still had his nose touching his neck. He squeaked out a “yes”.

Azul pulled back and smiled, “The only humans known pilot the Lions of Voltron. I was told that the Blue Paladin went missing recently, and that must be you.”

This was it. The Galra knew. Now they were going to torture him and send him to the druids. Before Lance could spiral any further into his despair, Azul released his hold on Lance. The handcuffs snapped apart and the alien took a step back.

“I had my suspicions and sent a coded message to the Blade of Marmora. If they received my message, the Blade, along with the rest of Voltron should arrive by tomorrow.”

Lance gawked and stared at Azul, then quietly asked, “You’re with the Blade?”

Azul nodded his head, “Yes. I have been a spy for the Blade for quite some time now.” The Paladin looked around the counter for the last bottle, picked it up and threw it at Azul. This time the Galra dodged it. 

Lance started shouting, “What is WRONG with you?! You could have at least waited until I was dressed, damn it!”

Azul looked at Lance confused. When he looked up and down Lance’s naked form, Azul blushed and quickly turned away.

Lance annoyingly commented, “A little late for that, man. You practically ravished me after pinning me against the bathroom sink.”

Azul with his back still turned spoke up, “Would it help if I said how strikingly beautiful you are?”

Lance felt his entire face burn as he squawked. He jumped off the countertop and ran into the conjoined bedroom. When he made it to the canopy bed, he ripped off the sheets and pulled them tight around his body. With some modesty regained, Lance sank into the bed and groaned. He was still hard and impossibly embarrassed.

“I would like to apologize for my previous actions,” Azul said. He was standing at the threshold of the bathroom door, face still dark from flushing, “I would also like to formally introduce myself: I am Azul, member and spy for the Blade of Marmora.”

Lance wrapped the sheets closer as he spoke, “Lance, Paladin of the Blue Lion.”

The Galra coughed and cleared his throat, “I did not want to share sensitive information had you been a different species…”

“Are you sure it wasn’t because I was naked?” Lance asked curiously.

Azul smirked and answered, “I had to make sure.”

“Now that just sounds like you’re lying.” Lance quipped. Azul kept his arms tucked behind his back as he walked closer to Lance, stopping at the foot of the bed. The Galra pulled out one hand and laid it before Lance, showing him a small device in the palm of his hand. It was a small stick with a blinking light. Curiously, he looked at it closer when a small holo-screen beamed to life and made him scoot backwards.

A chorus of voices echoed, “Lance!” The young man looked up at the screen and found a group of familiar faces filtering through the screen. It was his team.

“Guys!” Lance scrambled forward and scooped the device up from Azul’s hands, “Is it really you? It’s not some recorded video is it?”

The first one to peer closer to the screen was Hunk, “No way man! We had to see for ourselves if you were really alright!”

Pidge was next and popped up near the corner of the screen, “Good to see you’re alright. You are doing okay, right?”

“Yes, as fine as I’ll ever be. Strangely enough, the Galra thought I was a Drakonian so I rolled with it and it kept me out of trouble. They separated me from the rest of the group but they should be fine.” Lance reported.

“No offense Lance,” A familiar face with shaggy black hair appeared, “But you don’t look alright…”

“I have no idea what—”

Keith growled and his eyes narrowed, “You are obviously wearing a bed sheet. What did they do?”

Lance froze then looked down at himself. He already knew he was wearing a bed sheet. What he didn’t realize was that his hair was still dripping wet, the sheet had slipped down one of his shoulders and his eyes may have been slightly swollen from crying. Oh, Keith thought…

Lance tried his best to explain, “Keith, I swear nothing happened. I was taking a bath and there were no towels, but then Azul—”

“Kolivan!” Keith yelled, “I thought you said we could trust this Galra?!”

In the background and away from the screen Lance could hear Kolivan speak, “Azul can be trusted. He is keeping the Blue Paladin safe.”

“I beg to differ,” Keith looked back at the screen and started yelling again, “You hear me, Azul?! If I find out that something did happen, I will hunt you down and feed you to the wolves!”

Azul looked at Lance quizzically with a hint of concern. That’s right, Lance never explained what a wolf was. He’ll explain it to the Galra later, since Lance wasn’t as irritated and mad with the Galra than he initially was. Knowing that Azul was a part of the Blade made him feel much better.

“Wait,” Lance spoke up, “There’s actually a problem with the rescue.”

Everyone nodded and waited for Lance to explain, “I know where the four women are—the ones who were captured with me—but I’m not certain if the ten Drakonians we are looking for are in the same place. Not only that, the Galra will be moving me tomorrow for the tournament.”

Inside the holo-screen Lance could hear a few gasps and Shiro was immediately at the front of the screen, pushing the three younger Paladins aside. There was a hint of fear rising in his face as their leader began to talk quickly.

“Lance we need to get you out of there now,” Shrio rasped, “I can’t let any of those things happen to you.”

Before Lance could reassure him, Azul picked up the stick and faced the holo-screen to him. Azul spoke with a calming voice and explained his plan, “I assure you that the Blue Paladin will not be participating in the tournament. This one in particular is held amongst the Galra to determine who is the strongest. Unfortunately, Lance will be used as a trophy for the winner.”

Keith pushed Shiro out of the way and pointed his knife at the screen, “I swear, if you were here right now—” Shiro pushed the knife away and calmed Keith the best he could.

“I will enter the tournament to keep Lance safe. During that time, every Galra will be present—including the commander. Because there will be less on patrol, it would be best to quietly evacuate the prisoners while the tournament proceeds.” Azul explained. Kolivan appeared and nodded his head. He continued to talk with Azul and the rest of the team to devise a plan. Lance listened and occasionally put in his opinions and suggestions. But he was mostly paying attention to how Keith constantly flicked back and forth between Lance and Azul. Why did he keep doing that? When Lance and the team were done talking, they said their goodnights and reluctantly said goodbye all while telling Lance that they would come for him and the rest of the prisoners no matter what happened. It made him smile knowing that the team was looking out for him.

Azul turned off the holo-screen and tucked the small stick away. He looked at Lance and asked, “Why did you not tell them that it was I who suggested the Trophy Room?”

Lance sighed then said, “Knowing that you are a Blade explains why you did that. You had your suspicions and you took a gamble. But honestly…” Lance looked to the bathroom door and blushed thinking about earlier, “I really don’t want to wear what they put out for me, and I don’t want my team seeing me in that outfit.”

“Perhaps you would like help?”

Lance blushed furiously and looked away from the Galra before him, “I can manage to dress myself thanks. Besides…” he glanced up and said quietly, “You already saw enough.”

Azul smirked, “You make it very hard, Blue Paladin.” The Galra leaned down close to Lance’s ear and whispered heatedly, “I look forward to seeing you dance like an exotic Drakonian. I hear they can be quite the seducer.” Lance squeaked and rolled away from Azul. He watched as the Galra laughed with his head thrown back and his hands clasped behind his back.

Azul stifle his laughter with a hand then said, “I will be the one to fetch you tomorrow. Hopefully you will have the outfit on and ready.”

Lance picked up a pillow and threw it at Azul chasing him out of the room. As much as Lance wanted to see his team again, especially Keith, he hoped that Azul and the Red Paladin would not cross paths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like things are starting to heat up! The story will soon come to an end though as there are only two chapters left! That's right, I've decided that there will be nine chapters total. I am going to keep the "?" though to make sure I don't need that extra chapter to conclude. I also want everyone to know that I am going to work on a second story after posting the last chapter. I'll announce more about it later.


	8. More than a Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want you all to know that I will be changing the posting date for future works to the weekends instead of Fridays. That means that once the final chapter is written for this story, posting days will become Saturdays and Sundays. Second, (and this one is important) I know how the last chapter will be ending but I would like some of your opinions, so please read the end notes. Again, thank you for the comments, kudos, and views!

The Auzeron Star System held several planets, but there was only one planet large enough to dock the Galra fleet. Elchea was the name of the planet and it was so large and dense that the Galra never noticed the Castle of Lions docked on the same surface. Pidge deduced that the density of the forest and the unusual magnetic fields had obscured any trackers and narrowed the radius of any scanners.

“The interference may cause problems,” Pidge explained to everyone, then smirked, “But it will only be a problem if the Galra are actively looking for us. Since they don’t know that we’re right next door, we have surprise on our side.” Keith was listening intently while he was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed. The Red Paladin was wearing his Blade uniform with the mask down but the hood drawn.

“So we have a plan: Evacuate any prisoners while the tournament is underway,” Keith stated, “Once the prisoners are out, the guards will notice and call everyone back in. During the chaos, we take out the commander and grab Lance.”

Shiro nodded his head then said, “There are a lot of things that can go wrong, so stay alert. I’m positive that the moment they see anything related to Voltron, they’ll start attacking. We’ll use the Green Lion since it has a cloaking device.”

Pidge removed her glasses then placed the helmet over her head and said, “By the time we get in, Kolivan and Keith would have shut down any of the security systems and the evacuations should go smoothly.”

“But you must remember,” Allura interrupted, “Lance will be with most of the Galra and that means he will be in the most danger if anything happens. As long as they’re distracted, he’ll be fine—Azul will be nearby.” Keith bit the inside of his cheek when he heard the Blade’s name. He held his tongue as he listened to Kolivan talk.

“The Red Paladin will assist me to the control room where they keep surveillance. I’ll stay and keep an eye on the holo-screens to guide everyone around,” Kolivan looked to Keith then said, “This will not be like any of the Blade missions before…”

Everyone was looking at Keith now. They were all in their Paladin armor with bayards strapped on their person. Each of them had a look of determination and trust; they believed that Keith would get the job done and bring back their Blue Paladin. So Keith stood up and nodded his head in reassurance: he would not fail.

“Alright then,” Coran clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention, “We should get into position and ready ourselves. And one last thing before you go…” the Altean curled his mustache before he spoke, “I did a little more research on Elchea’s environment: the density and magnetic poles do affect our communication devices, so you must be in close proximity to each other when talking.”

“How close do we have to be?” Hunk asked.

Coran smiled, “Number Five is quite the genius! The earpieces she configured were made out of strong material, so the moment you step out of the Castle of Lions we should all be able to communicate with our Blue Paladin.”

“Good, we might need to coordinate with Lance.” Shiro replied.

“Ah, I’m not done,” Coran held up a hand to stop them and continued, “I learned from past mistakes when it comes to my knowledge about the universe. So I’ll tell you this now as a warning: Elchea was home to a species that was incredibly aggressive and tight knit. I cannot say for sure if they are the same now or if they have disappeared with the passage of time.”

Kolivan grunted and added, “I too do not know what we will encounter on this planet, so stay alert.”

Their mission began. Shiro and Hunk piloted their Lions just outside the radius of the Galra fleet and hid them in the dense canopy of the forest. Once they were certain that the Lions were well hidden they boarded the Green Lion. In the distance they could see the fleet with the largest ship at the center touching the ground. Keith waited for Pidge to fly just above the largest ship and when they were hovering a few feet above, the hatch opened and he followed Kolivan down. The moment his feet touched metal, Keith’s mask went up and he contacted Lance.

“You there?” Keith asked. He waited then tried again, “Lance, are you there? If you can hear me cough once.”

“Dude, give me a minute. This stuff is a nightmare.”

As Kolivan ran ahead with Keith following he asked, “What’s a nightmare? What are you doing?”

There was a sigh at the other end, “Remind me to ask Kolivan why Galra prefer this style. I feel like I’m about to go on stage at some strip club.”

Keith choked, “What—” Keith had to wave Kolivan off because the Blade leader looked at him with the mask on.

“Hey, uh guys?” Lance spoke up, “Can you give me a private channel with Keith?”

“Sure,” Shiro responded on the radio, “Make it quick. We need to keep the channels open just in case.”

“Okay,” Lance waited for a minute then began talking, “There is so much I want to say right now but I really need to know: what are we?”

Keith was inside the ship now, hiding around corners and dipping into rooms to avoid the guards. He was doing pretty well so far, but he made a sound when Lance asked his question. The Red Paladin ducked behind a pillar in the hallway.

“Ah, um…” Keith took a slow breath to steady himself then said, “We’ll be whatever you want us to be. I’m not gonna lie though: I want a relationship out of this. Go on dates, spend time together.”

The radio was only picking up small sounds until Lance replied, “I also want a relationship and if it’s alright with you, I want us to be...boyfriends?”

Keith sucked in a small breath and smiled, “I really wish that I could just find you and kiss you right now. I was worried.”

Lance hummed, “I’m going to take that as a yes. So that leads me to the next thing on the agenda...” Keith froze where he was. The Red Paladin wasn’t too far behind Kolivan and judging by the Blade’s moment they were near the control room.

Keith whispered, “Hold that thought Lance; we’re at the control room.”

There was only a small hum before Keith got to work. Slowly, the two approached the large metal door. When the door sensed their presence, they charged in. Keith stabbed the panel to his right making the doors close and lock in place. When he looked up, Kolivan had already taken down one soldier and moved to the next one. Keith joined the fray and charged three Galra grouped together. He dodged an oncoming blast and hooked his arm around the gunman, pulling himself up to roll along the first Galra’s back. As he rolled, he used his momentum to kick the back of the second Galra’s head then immediately used his awakened Galra sword to stab into the third. He pulled his sword up and out of the second Galra and slashed the plasma gun out of the first Galra’s hands. Before Keith could do more, the Galra before him collapsed and Kolivan was standing behind him with his own sword raised.

Kolivan pointed at the unconscious bodies with his sword, “Impressive.”

With all the guards in the room taken out, Kolivan went straight to the largest holo-screen in the room which sat right in front of a view of the tree tops that stretched for miles. While Kolivan contacted the team of their status Keith began moving the unconscious bodies one at a time and tying up their limbs. While he was working he told Lance to continue. And boy was he caught off guard.

“Ask what I’m wearing.” Lance demanded.

Keith stopped what he was doing, “Wait, what?”

Lance groaned and replied, “I’m sitting in this room bored, waiting for my part of the plan. Just humor me...also ask like you mean it.”

Keith growled as he slipped and pulled the bindings on the soldiers tighter, “Now I’m really curious: what are you wearing?”

Lance hummed and Keith could hear a drop in his voice, “Something even more revealing than what the Drakonians gave me…” Keith held his breath as Lance talked, “All legs and little to nothing existing between my skin and the fabric.”

Keith gritted his teeth and bit out, “You are not making this mission any easier.”

“Just a little heads up for when you see me,” Lance giggled, “Switch the channels back. Azul is here.”

The Red Paladin huffed and switched the radio so that their conversation was open with the rest of the team. Keith really wanted to continue that conversation but his imagination was giving him some detailed ideas about what Lance was wearing. He could just push Kolivan aside and try to find Lance on the monitors as he walked through the hallways towards where the tournament area would be held. All legs? That meant no black leggings underneath and his delicious skin was on display. He licked his lips. But then he remembered Lance saying that Azul was there. The thought made his insides churn with jealousy because some Blade member who he never met was seeing Lance in such an outfit, but also with a hint of anger and possessiveness. If Keith ever saw Azul and talked in person, he would make sure the Galra knew that Lance was with him. If Azul was still interested...well, he could always cut his head off...

Kolivan’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “The security system is offline. The Green Lion is clear to enter the hangers. There are three drones posted: two at the door and one above.”

Keith listened as his teammates hummed. When he was finished tying up the soldiers, he joined Kolivan at the holo-screens and watched as a shimmer appeared. From out of nowhere, the hanger shook and three Paladins appeared. While Shiro and Pidge charged the two guards, Hunk grabbed his bayard and repeatedly shot at the overhang causing it to collapse and knock the drone above to the floor below. The robot shattered and sparks flew. Hunk stayed behind while Shiro and Pidge were directed towards the holding cells. At the same time Kolivan switched the holo-screens to follow them. When the screens displayed the prison cells, Keith twitched.

The hallways were narrow and long, and each turn led to another hall of holding cells. There were too many, Keith thought. The Green Lion would not be able to hold all the prisoners. They would at least have to make three round trips. Shiro voiced exactly what Keith was thinking as he released the first holding cell.

“There’re too many prisoners on this ship. We can only fit so many in the Green Lion.” Shiro said.

“We’re gonna have to make do,” Pidge replied, “There were extra ships in the hanger, if any of these aliens know how to pilot then we’ll be able to evacuate more.”

Keith answered, “We’ll use the Galra ships to get them out. It might even be harder for the fleet to respond if a few ships were missing.”

The team agreed and continued to release small batches of prisoners, asking any of them if they knew how to pilot. When they found some that could, Shiro and Pidge explained the plan and the alien volunteered to drive. While Shiro guided the group of prisoners and new pilots towards the hangers, Pidge worked on releasing more prisoners in small groups. A few hours passed and things were going smoothly, until Kolivan turned away from the screen and raised his hand to his comm piece. Keith waited in silence as he stared at Kolivan.

“I understand,” Kolivan replied, “You need to buy as much time as possible. Drag the fight out.” Kolivan turned to Keith and rumbled out, “Azul has three more rounds to fight and is stretching them as far as he is able. You must go and deal with the commander yourself.”

Keith lowered his mask and fiercely questioned the Blade leader, “I thought during the chaos you would deal with the commander!” Keith was fuming. 

Kolivan sighed and he too lowered his mask to talk with Keith. His brow was scrunched up into a knot, “Apparently, the other Galra wanted the Paladin just as bad and disabled one of Azul’s arm; he is fighting with a broken limb and might need help. Also…” Kolivan pointed at the symbols on the screen as he continued to explain, “You may be half Galra, but you did not learn our language nor know any of the inner workings of the Empire. You will be of little help without that knowledge.”

Keith huffed and raised his mask once again, “Fine, tell me how to get there.”

Kolivan explained and pointed him in the right direction. Keith left the room running full speed down the hallways turning left and right. Whenever he encountered a robot, he destroyed it and hid the pieces in the vents or a nearby room. When he ran into a Galra soldier, he took them out as quickly as possible then crushed their communication device. This continued until he reached his destination. Kolivan had guided him to a balcony that bordered an open arena below. He entered the area and stuck to the shadows, dipping in and out of pillars and keeping away from the railing.

Below, Keith could hear the roars of Galra shouting and chanting. He shuffled onto his stomach and crawled to the edge of the floor to overlook the opened arena. An incredibly large crowd of Galra had gathered around a fighting arena about twice as small as the Castleship’s training room. He looked to the center to find two Galra fighting: one holding a sword, while the other cradled an injured arm. Keith took a good long look at the injured Galra because he had resembled Ulaz so much. The Galra’s ears were much smaller due to the lack of fur that was shaven like a military soldier. Like the rest of the Galra, he had the solid yellow eyes that glowed, but his skin was a lighter shade of purple nearly bordering a faded blue. So this was Azul, Keith thought. He wouldn’t admit it, but The Red Paladin was impressed that Azul was holding his own against an armed foe.

Keith whispered into the comm piece, “Kolivan, which one is the commander?”

Kolivan responded, “Commander Zahir should be the one holding the Blue Paladin. He has a scar on his left eye and prosthetic claws on his left hand.”

Eyes scanned the crowd of Galra searching for the commander and mostly for Lance. When he spotted the boy, his could feel his heart beat faster and his palms get sweaty beneath the fabric of his suit. He clenched his teeth as he took in his fill of eye candy. There was conflicting feelings, but he mostly zeroed in on the loose fabric doing a poor job of concealing all that skin. Gold bracelets adorned and delicately kissed the young man’s ankles. Lance’s legs were folded underneath his body giving his legs and ass a nice curve. Only a single piece of long cloth fell between his thighs for cover. Then he saw that it was all held together by a single string tied together. Keith shifted as he stifled a moan. He followed more strings crossing over his torso and up to a halter top that was held up by a second collar hidden beneath the already existing Galra tech collar. He barely noticed that Lance had been wearing handcuffs connected to a glowing cord. Keith followed the cord as it looped up and rested in the clawed prosthetic of Commander Zahir.

Keith grinned and whispered, “Found you,” and began to pull his knife from its sheath. He stopped when he heard a squeak filter through the radio. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Blue Paladin’s body become stiff. Keith smirked as he drew his knife and transformed it into a sword.

“Hey Lance, I like what I see,” Keith breathed, and watched as Lance fought to contain a small squirm. Keith then said, “Don’t move your head, just look; I’m on the balcony to your right.” He listened to Lance make a little cough. Keith deemed it as an acknowledgement.

“Kolivan, I found the commander.” Keith radioed in, “I’ll try and get closer. How far along are Shiro and Pidge?”

Kolivan responded immediately, “The Green Paladin has loaded the last of the prisoners. The Black and Yellow Paladins are making their way back to their Lions. Get into position.” Keith scanned the room and spotted pipes hanging from the ceiling. As quietly as he could, he ran the length of the perimeter and stopped to climb over the railing. He stepped out and walked across the pipes to position himself above Lance and the Galra commander.

“I’m ready,” Keith whispered, “Just tell me when.” He gripped his sword tighter.

Shiro spoke with a heavy tone, “Keith, as much as I know you want to get Lance out of there, you’re gonna have to wait a little longer. There are too many Galra in one place, so wait for a good amount to leave before striking.”

Keith nearly lost his balance when the pipe rattled from the echoing roars of the Galra below. He looked down and found that Azul and beaten his opponent into the ground standing victorious with his good arm raised to the air. He watched as Azul turned and faced Commander Zahir, standing at attention with his fist curled up against his chest.

“Claim your prize, soldier.” Commander Zahir bellowed.

Every alien cheered and yelled as Azul stepped off the small arena and walked towards the commander. The crowd parted as Azul walked injured towards Lance and grasped the cord from Commander Zahir’s claw. The Galra pulled the cord and slowly walked from the room as everyone cheered and bellowed degrading insults to both the winning Galra and the assumed Drakonian. The words made Keith bristle and on edge, and he continued to watch the two walk from the room until the doors behind them closed. The moment they closed, Lance’s voice flooded the radios.

“That was absolutely terrifying to watch. Guys, you’re in the clear. We’re making our way to the hanger now.” Lance quickly said.

Right on cue, the entire ship trembled and all of the Galra looked around confused. The alarms blared and continued to ring as the soldiers flooded from the room. This was it; Keith tightened his grip on the sword and watched as the commander shouted orders pointing towards the door. Nearly three quarters of the soldiers had exited the arena when Keith made his move. He jumped from the pipes and prepared for the harsh landing. His feet connected with Commander Zahir and the sudden weight made the Galra fall backwards as Keith drove the sword straight through the commander’s chest.

Beneath him, the commander coughed as blood began to fill his lungs. Keith pulled the sword from its place and turned to face the remaining Galra in the room. He disarmed the first and used his sword to slice a plasma gun in half. Keith received a few cuts but they were nothing to worry over until he felt pain flare up in his thigh. He screamed as he collapsed on the ground. Warmth flooded his thigh and he looked down to find Commander Zahir wearing a bloody smile. The prosthetic claws were dripping with blood as they clattered against the ground once again.

Commander Zahir laughed weakly, “Let’s see...how far you get...now…”

Keith yelled in frustration as he fought the last group of soldier. His thigh pulsed with every step and he could feel more blood drip from his wound when he put weight on it. Finally, he blocked a blow from the last Galra and pulled on his foe’s arm. He twisted the weapon from his opponent’s hand and cut him straight across the throat. Keith was panting as the alien fell. In the distance he could hear someone talking, but couldn’t discern who it was.

“What’s your status? Keith are you there? Answer me!”

“I’m fine!” Keith yelled. He started limping across the room as he talked, “Commander Zahir is dead...I’m making my way to the hangers now.” Something didn’t feel right.

Keith barely got outside the room when he collapsed from the pain. His injury was flaring and the constant pulse traveled up his hip and down to his toes. After taking a gulp of air, he stood up once more and used the wall as a support and traveled down the hall until he came to a corner. He poked his head out, only to find the corridor filled with drones and Galra. He pulled back and found the nearest room to duck into then radioed his team.

“I’m gonna need some help…” Keith rasped.

Shiro answered, “What’s wrong?”

Keith took another breath before speaking, “My leg is injured...and the way to the hangers is filled with Galra.”

“Alright, stay put and we’ll come to you,” Shiro replied.

Keith hummed then began to hobble deeper into the room he entered. He had to at least hide somewhere just in case one of the enemies came to this room. But then again there weren’t many places to hide. So he resigned himself to slumping against the wall once more and sliding down to sit on the floor.

“Hey Shiro,” Keith asked, “Did Lance make it back okay?”

Shiro was breathing heavily when he answered, “Yeah, he’s back in the Castleship and Azul was placed in the cryo-pod for healing. Coran and Princess Allura are with them.” Back to heavy breathing; Shiro must have been running.

“What about...the prisoners?” Keith asked weakly. Why was everything so blurry?

“They’re all safe. Turns out the Drakonians missing were with the rest of the prisoners. All ten, plus the four Lance were with.” Shiro paused then said quietly, “Stay with me, Keith. We’re coming for you.”

“Right,” Keith said groggily, “I’m not...going anywhere…” He kept his palm pressed against his injury, hoping it would slow the bleeding. But he was tired, so incredibly tired. That strange feeling was back and he knew for sure that something was wrong.

Keith reached up to dissolve his mask and suddenly it was a little easier to breath. Curiously, he lifted his hand to check and sure enough it was stained red. But there was something else; a small hint of purple and black. He grimaced and placed his palm back over his thigh while he used his free hand to draw out his knife. With his weapon ready, he waited as tension began to fill his muscles. He barely registered the sound of the door opening until a figure was kneeling in front of him. Keith only saw a white forelock and smiled weakly at the sound of the owner’s familiar voice.

“Let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: Next chapter is the last, and I would like some opinions. (Keep in mind that this is my first fanfiction). For the last chapter, should I imply that smut has happened? I would like some opinions and if you do want smut, then please give suggestions. Another thing I want to know is if my next story should be a Lance/Keith or Lance/Shiro? (I am open to other pairings as well).


	9. For Your Eyes Only

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get the additional tags out of the way first: WARNING! There is smut in this chapter. Again, this is my first time writing smut and I felt that I rushed when writing this chapter because I was scared someone would sneak a peek at what I was writing and they saw...well, you know. I even looked at other writer's works to get an idea, but then I just felt embarrassed. Anyways, this is the last chapter! Thank you everyone for the comments, kudos, and views!

Ten days had passed since the rescue mission and Commander Zahir’s assassination. In that time, the prisoners that were aboard the Galra fleet were escorted to a rebellion base for assistance in their return home while the Castle of Lions began their slow journey back to Planet Drakma. Unfortunately, both Keith and Azul had needed a cryo-pod. Azul had a split lip, a broken arm, and several cuts from fighting in the tournament. Keith, on the other hand, had very few cuts but all of them were large, especially the distinctive gash in his right thigh. The cryo-pod actually rejected Keith’s limp body because it detected a foreign object. Coran did a thorough examination and found a piece of a glowing prosthetic claw embedded deep inside the injury. Lance felt nauseous when he and Shiro had to pin down Keith’s violent movements as Coran pulled the claw out. When they learned that the prosthetic claw was poisonous, Lance nearly had a panic attack. Coran reassures them though, that the cryo-pod would turn the poison into harmless protein. The memory made him shudder.

Lance continuously paced back and forth with his bare feet tapping against the cold metal floor. He shouldn’t have been worried with the mission done. All the aliens were safe, and the Drakonians were on their way home with the team. Even Azul had emerged from the cryo-pod in less than five days, healthy and ready for his next mission. But Keith had yet to emerge and it had already been ten days since the rescue. He worried for Keith.

“Coran, are you sure he’s fine?” Lance asked nervously. The Altean waved his hand in front of the pod and a holo-screen popped up.

Coran pointed to the holo-screen, “He is absolutely fine. I know you’re learning the language, but it says here that everything checks out.”

“But it’s already been ten days,” Lance fretted, “What if something is wrong?”

Hunk looked to Lance, “I’m sure Keith’s fine. He was already tough to begin with and he’s half-Galra! That makes him, like, super strong!”

Lance started, “But—”

A quiet sizzling sound caught everyone’s attention and they turned. Large puffs of cold air escaped from the edges of the glass cover and dissolved for a groggy Red Paladin to step out in the open. Lance gasped and charged the wobbly young man and scooped him up in a large hug. He buried his face into the crook of Keith’s neck hugging him tighter. Without really thinking, Keith looped his arms around the person hugging him.

“Lance?” Keith asked, “Everything is still a little blurry. I’m hugging the right person, right?”

Lance couldn’t hold back the quiet sob as he pulled Keith as close as he could, “Yeah...it’s me.”

Once Keith had regained his bearings, he received hugs and pats on the head as a welcome back gesture. When he thanked the team, the Red Paladin turned to Kolivan and Azul. Keith walked up to Kolivan and before he could say anything, the Blade leader held out his arm. The young man smiled as he clasped the Galra’s forearm with a firm grip and held eye contact with Kolivan.

“You did well,” Kolivan stated, “I look forward to working with Voltron and the coalition in the future.” Kolivan and Keith released their grip then nodded their heads to each other. Kolivan then looked to both the Princess and Coran then said, “Should you need our help again, do not hesitate to ask.” Kolivan slightly bowed his head to the Princess.

While Kolivan exchanged departing words, Azul approached Lance. The tall Galra eyed the Red Paladin, looking him up and down with curiosity. Lance watched as Azul tilted his head quizzically then brightened and smiled. He knew that smile and it was a mischievous one. But at the same time there was something else…

Azul leaned down and gathered close to Lance’s face, then spoke quietly, “Lance, now that you know I am of the Blade, I want you to know the truth behind my actions that day.”

Lance squeaked and froze, “What day are you talking about?” From the corner of his eye, he could see Keith lean forward like he was about to pounce. He knew the two of them meeting would be a bad idea.

“The first day we met, I wanted you for myself,” Azul whispered heatedly, “Wanted to feel your soft flesh under my claws and watch your muscles flutter from my touch.”

The young man was not having this. He covered his mouth to stifle a squawk as Azul talked. He could feel his ears and cheeks burn from embarrassment because not only was Azul nearly growling it, but Keith could also hear what the Galra was saying. Lance hoped the rest of the room couldn’t hear. He took a quick glimpse and to his dismay, everyone was watching. Lance was confused as to why Kolivan wasn’t stepping in to pull Azul away.

“Although I did not know you were a Paladin of Voltron, I must say that you were absolutely ravishing, Lance.” Azul had made sure he growled the Paladin’s name, and continued, “I desired much more when I arrived while you were bathing—”

“You what?” Keith yelled venomously.

Pidge began to giggle and wipe her eyes, “Oh no, wow, this is gonna be good…”

Azul looked at Keith, then back to Lance and snapped his teeth making Lance flustered before continuing, “I am lucky to have felt such plump thighs and a supple ass—absolutely beautiful with droplets caressing your body.” Azul seductively licked his lips then added, “So wonderfully exotic and defiant with your wrists pinned above that pretty face.”

Lance was about to spontaneously combust from everything Azul was saying. Was that really what the Galra thought about him? Oh boy, he could feel the arousal creep up on him. He looked to the room and each of his friends had worn a different expression. Kolivan was stoic throughout the entire ordeal. Coran had taken to looking one way while Shiro—blush evident across his scar— looked the other way. Pidge and Allura were smiling respectively hiding behind Hunk’s large figure as if waiting in secrecy. Hunk, on the other hand, was frowning with his arms crossed against his chest. He gestured between the three of them as if he were asking why Lance had yet to say anything. Oh, right. Tell Azul that he is with Keith.

Lance stuttered as he spoke to Azul who was still close to his face, “I—you...I can’t! K-Keith and I are—”

Before Lance could explain anything, he felt a strong grip on his waist pulling him back. He stumbled backwards and found himself facing the Red Paladin. His gaze was heated and angry. Lance didn’t have time to question the young man before a hand snaked up the back of his head, forcefully gripped his hair, and pulled him into a heated kiss.

It was deadly and pure bliss. The moment Lance tried to pull away, Keith tugged on his hair making him gasp. Next thing he knew, something warm and wet slipped between his lips, and began to greedily lick inside his mouth. A hum escaped his throat and registered as a low moan to his ears. The Blue Paladin could barely hear the small clapping and squeals coming from Allura and Pidge. His ears were pounding when their lips obscenely popped and pulled apart.

While Lance stood dazed, Keith turned his piercing gaze toward Azul and said seethingly, “He is mine. Got that? Lance is my boyfriend, and if I ever hear you talk that way to him again I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the wolves. Understood?”

Azul smiled despite his obvious pale appearance and nodded his head, “I understand.”

Keith narrowed his gaze, then turned and shouted to Kolivan, “Take him and leave, before I change my mind!” A rare grin graced the Blade leader’s face. Kolivan chuckled as he waved for Azul to follow him from the room. The larger Galra patted the other on the head and the two rebels began their walk to the hanger to board their ship and return to their home base. Once the two Blade members left the room, everyone approached the couple.

Allura clasped her hands then spoke dreamily, “That was absolutely stunning! Do all humans claim each other in such passionate ways?”

“Oh, Allura no. Every person is different. You just happen to witness how Keith did it.” Pidge looked at Keith and grinned, “By the way, that was awesome. Azul was trying to play it off, but he was so scared! Wow!”

Hunk rubbed his chin as he curiously looked at the Blue Paladin, “So Lance, what was Azul talking about with the bathing? He had quite the image painted for us.”

Lance jerked in Keith’s hold and panicked, “Nothing happened! I swear, nothing happened. Remember when we did that video chat thing before the mission?” Everyone nodded their heads, then Lance continued, “The Galra wanted me, I guess, presentable. So they put me in a room to wash and Azul walked in on me...he sort of interrogated me to make sure he wasn’t exposed as a spy for the Blade of Marmora.” Lance explained.

Keith wrapped his other arm around Lance to grab his attention, “And he did this while you were…”

Lance’s eyes wandered away from his boyfriend and shyly replied, “I’m just that, uh, irresistible.”

Without warning, Lance was picked up and thrown over Keith’s shoulder. A pitched yelp escaped his mouth and when he looked up, he could see the receding images of his teammates as Keith walked out of the infirmary.

Shiro yelled knowingly as they walked away, “Keith!”

“I know, Shiro!” The young man shouted back.

Pidge shouted at them jokingly, “Have fun you two!”

“Pidge!” Hunk chided.

The metal doors slid closed and the deafening silence made him blush as Keith carried him over his shoulder. Keith walked down the hallway and interrogated his boyfriend to fill the silence.

“So, Azul saw you naked, and also saw you wearing a skimpy outfit. Does that sound fair, Lance?” Keith growled and maneuvered his hand so that it was constantly rubbing his lover’s ass.

Lance suppressed a small squirm when he answered, “I can make it up to you. I still have the outfit in my room…”

Keith’s hand squeezed firmly and he asked hungrily, “Show me?”

Lance hummed in agreement and when they entered Lance’s room, Keith set the young man back down on his feet. For a few seconds they stood facing each other, staring lovingly into each other’s eyes, until the young man remembered that his outfit was in the bathroom. So he guided Keith to sit down at the edge of his bed, then quickly escaped into the bathroom wearing a blushing face. Quickly, he stripped and folded his clothes, then grabbed the purple fabric. Lance didn’t exactly want to wear the offending lingerie again, but seeing the look on Keith’s face made him slip the strings over his legs. The fabric tickled his skin as he pulled the halter top over his head and adjusted the rest of the crossing strings, then the anklets slipped over his heels and jingled. Finally, he slipped on the belt with the hanging fabric that left his thighs and a glimpse of his ass exposed. As best he could, Lance strutted out of the bathroom.

With each step, the anklets chimed and he slowly popped his hips. As an afterthought, Lance posed for Keith: he had one hip raised with the same leg bent and standing on his toes, then had both arms slowly caress up his body to rest one hand in his hair and the other to rest on his parted lips. He watched as Keith licked his lips and prepared to stand up. But Lance stopped him.

“Wait,” Lance breathed, “I’ll...come to you. Just stay there okay?”

“Can I still touch?” Keith quickly asked.

Lance nodded his head and approached his lover. He glided his toes against the cold surface and a thought came to him; Keith would love it. As quickly as he could, Lance slowly dropped down to his knees and pulled Keith’s thighs apart so he could wedge himself in between. Thank you, sexy dance lessons because you are being put to good use, Lance thought. He rubbed the palms of his hands up and down Keith’s thighs and looked up at him. They were wild and filled with lust. Keith cupped Lance’s cheeks making his throat stretch as he looked up at the young man. They kissed tenderly while Keith rubbed his thumb against Lance’s cheek bone, and Lance trailed his fingers up Keith’s sides.

“You are so beautiful. I can see the shape of your ass just from you sitting like this.” Keith kissed him again and teasingly pulled his bottom lip.

Lance pulled back and bit down on his lip to stifle a moan. He switched his hands to the front of Keith’s pants and began to play with the zipper, pulling them down slowly and easing the hard member out from the pants and the boxer briefs. When Lance finally pulled the clothing far enough, Keith’s cock sprang free. The tip was glistening and wet, and he could see a small veins peeking up from the skin. Curiously, Lance flicked his tongue out against the tip and immediately felt Keith jerk beneath him. His eyes drifted up and saw the Red Paladin looking down at him expectantly. Small gasps came out short and hollow as if to fend something off.

Hands rested softly against Lance’s hair as the young man continued his work. With one hand, Lance stroked and pumped the shaft while lazily licking the head. There was no hurry, and Lance could have done this for a long time: slow licks while steadily pumping Keith’s cock. There was no particular taste except for the heat resting on his tongue and he wanted to feel it inside his mouth. He swallowed the head and sucked. The hands in his hair pulled hard and he could feel a presence begin to loom above him.

“Fuck, Lance…” Keith rasped.

Lance pulled back fast then slid back down just as slowly, but a little further this time. Absently, his free hand went down to his own cock to rub the fabric draped between his thighs. The sudden pressure made the heat build and Lance moaned. The vibration in his throat traveled to his lips and pulled a gasp from Keith. The sound gave him confidence in his actions, but he was only able to swallow down a third of Keith’s dick before feeling the gag reflex kick in. He worked with it. So he stuck with only sucking that part and when he pulled off to lick the rest, there was an obscene popping noise when his lips left the head.

Meanwhile, Keith was silently shaking with one hand still tangled in Lance’s hair and the other covering his mouth. His legs shook as Lance continued to suck and lick his cock, never leaving any surface untouched. He could feel something build up inside him, but he didn’t want it to end so early. Another shock ran from his groin to the rest of his body when he felt the tongue lick under the head and suction against his slit. Damn he wanted Lance to keep going, but…

Keith forcefully pulled Lance off his cock and got a good look at the young man below him. Lips were slightly swollen and red with saliva dripping from the corner of his boyfriend’s mouth. He saw that one of Lance’s hands had been rubbing between his thighs and growled. He was feeling it too.

Lance rasped looking at Keith, “Was it good?”

Keith breathed and grinned, “So good...didn’t want to cum yet…” Keith tilted Lance’s head back and kissed him licking inside then pulled back and said, “On the bed, with your ass up...I wanna get you ready…”

Keith watched as Lance squirmed and rubbed his thighs together. The Blue Paladin slipped from between Keith’s legs and crawled onto the bed, the anklets chiming quietly. When Lance reached to remove the halter top and strip, Keith stopped him. The tanned boy looked to Keith confused.

“Leave the outfit on.” Keith grinned, and pulled off his shirt then said, “I want to fuck you with this on,” Keith tugged on the strings of the halter top and Lance just whined as his cheeks burned. Keith began to pull off his pants and boxer briefs.

Little did he know that Lance was watching and racking his eyes over the other’s body. Small nicks and cuts littered most of Keith’s arms, but the most prominent scar was the tender marks on his right thigh. Lance was pulled from his wandering when Keith pulled him in for a quick kiss and reminding him that he wanted Lance’s ass up. Shyly, Lance turned onto his hands and knees, then stretching further so his chest was rubbing up against his bed sheets. This is so embarrassing but so hot, Lance thought. He shivered when he felt a warm hand touch his spine then travel down to the globe of his ass. When the long material covering his rear was flipped over one hip, he heard Keith choke and cough behind him.

Lance pulled himself up on his hands to look behind him and ask, “Are you okay?”

Keith’s face was burning as he spoke, “You realize what you’re wearing underneath, right?” The Red Paladin regained his composure then grinned mischievously and said seductively, “I could just move the string aside and fuck you.”

An entire shiver shot through Lance’s entire body. Why did it seem so hot? He flopped down onto his chest once more to bury his shame in the pillow and mumbled. Above him he could feel Keith cover his body with his chest and lean down to ask what he had mumbled.

Lance turned his head and whined, “There’s lube and condoms in the drawer…”

Keith leaned forward more to reach for the drawer and in his efforts grinded his cock against Lance’s ass. He nearly choked when he felt Keith: he was so hard and his skin burned when he felt the entire length rub him. When Keith got the necessary items, he dropped the condoms next to Lance’s body then popped the cap open.

A squeak escaped Lance’s lips when he felt the lube and Keith’s fingers began to play with his hole. The rim of his hole was played with for so long that he never realized that a single finger was already inside him. He was warming up to the feeling when he felt something wet and warm join the finger. He jerked and the anklets slightly chimed.

“Keith!” Lance moaned, “What—”

“Sorry,” the sound vibrated against his rim, “Wanted to taste you.”

“But that’s—” Lance squeaked and moaned when another finger joined and Keith continued to lick and suck. He was trying his best not to squirm and kick his legs as he thought he might hit Keith. But the sound of the anklets chiming kept Lance on edge and fully aware of what Keith could pull from him. Then the thought of the rest of the castleship hearing them made Lance shudder. He quickly covered his mouth with both hands before a moan escaped his mouth. Suddenly, there was nothing in his ass and he turned his head to look at Keith.

“Why are you hiding your moans?” Keith asked sweetly, “I want to hear you.”

Lance bit his lip, “What if they hear us?”

“Lance, they...kinda already know what we’re doing,” Keith reasoned, “Can you keep your hands on the bed?”

“I don’t know...it’s sort of a reflex—” Lance clasped his hands over his mouth when he felt two fingers enter him. 

Keith hummed, “I have an idea, you can tell me ‘no’ if you don’t like it…” Keith continued to rub his insides as he spoke and Lance did his best to contain a jolt. The ringing of the anklets said otherwise. Keith pulled lightly on the string crossing around the young man below him, then let them snap against the soft skin. Lance gasped and his back arched a little more. 

Keith leaned in close and whispered in Lance’s ear, “I could use the string here to tie up your arms,” he pulled and snapped another string, “what do you think?”

Lance moaned and nodded his head, “Please...I want it.” he shifted his arms behind him against his lower back, “Please? Just my arms, okay?”

A hum answered him and soon most of the strings had been undone and tied securely around Lance’s forearms. The strings were evenly spread out and when Keith realized that they were still attached to the halter top, his cock twitched. This was bordering a line they haven’t talked about yet. But Keith put it on the back burner for another time. He kissed down Lance’s spine as he continued to work his lover open.

By the time Keith decided that three fingers was enough, Lance was an absolute mess. The tanned male below him had sweat caressing his skin and there was a small wet spot where his cock was leaking. He massaged Lance’s arms a bit while he looked sweetly at the blissed out expression: lips parted and covered in drool with eyes half lidded and dilated. Little puffs of breath escaped his lips and when Keith removed his fingers, Lance moaned and began to squirm pushing his ass out more to search for that feeling again. He removed his boxer briefs then the condom was ripped open and rolled on. Keith positioned himself to enter Lance.

“Ready?” Keith rasped.

Below him Lance weakly whined, “Fuck me.”

Keith would have cum had he not put pressure on his dick. Slowly, he pushed the head in and waited for Lance to adjust. Each time he went deeper, he waited for Lance to adjust no matter how much Lance squirmed and tried to move back on his cock. He held Lance’s hips steady and firm until he finally bottomed out. Painfully slow, Keith pulled out then slammed back in.

Lance screamed and he could feel the wall of muscles constrict around his member. Keith hunched forward and rested his forehead against Lance’s back, groaning and desperately trying not to cum. He felt the body underneath him slowly slump, and Keith grew concerned.

“Lance? You okay?” Keith asked worriedly.

The boy was panting and swallowed, “I...came…” his voice was scratchy and wrecked.

What? Keith pulled out and rolled Lance’s body over. Sure enough, the purple fabric that hung from the boy’s hips had been covered in cum with the head peeking out from the lingerie, still half hard. Oh wow. Keith could see Lance’s entire body flush from the sex and his chest was pushed up from his arms being bound behind him.

“Keep...going…” Lance moaned and panted, “Wanna...feel you.”

Keith groaned, “Anything for you…” and he began to kiss every exposed skin as he removed each article of clothing. He started with the waist, pulling the long fabric off Lance’s legs then the underwear. He used the peeled fabric to gently clean up what he could then tossed it on the floor. He left the anklets though; he wanted to hear them ring as he fucked Lance. Keith then wedged himself between the Blue Paladin’s legs and pulled him up to rest against his chest while he released the strings and the halter top. Lance had finally been ridded of the outfit and his cock had become fully hard once more.

Gently, Keith laid Lance back down against the bed then positioned himself to enter again. This time, he didn’t wait and slammed in. Lance arched and moaned, gripping the arms caging him in tightly. Thinking of Lance coming on the first thrust made Keith incredibly hot and bothered making his movements faster and more desperate. He grabbed the back of Lance’s ankles and hooked them over his shoulders then slowly leaned down to make sure the position didn’t hurt Lance. Instead, all he heard were broken moans and whines escaping from the swollen lips below. The constant chime of the anklets only emphasized what the two were doing and it seemed to make Lance squirm even more.

“I’m close...Lance!” Keith gasped as he looked down. Lance’s mouth was completely open with his eyes half lidded and his face down to his chest flushed red.

“K-kiss me.” Lance demanded.

Legs fell from his shoulders and he dove for those delicious lips. He felt the fallen legs wrap around his waist with the heels and anklets digging into his back, and arms wrap around his neck. Heat began to coil and build up until Keith came and his hips jerked and stuttered. As he came down from his high, he remembered that Lance had yet to come since the first thrust. So he quickly took the length in hand in pumped it a few times before Lance came with a drawn out moan and whimpers. Exhausted, Keith pulled out and removed the condom. He tied it off then threw it away and collapsed next to his boyfriend.

“Love you,” Lance mumbled tiredly as he huddled closer.

Keith pecked his forehead then his lips and replied, “Love you too.” he draped his arm over Lance’s limp body.

“Hey, Keith? You think I should ask the Drakonians for another outfit? I did lose the first one...” Lance asked.

Keith merely grinned and buried his face into the crook of Lance’s neck. He felt the body next to him laugh, then heard Lance giggle, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, there was actually an entire scene before this chapter, but it would end up taking another chapter. I couldn't just say "there's actually ten chapters" when I promised nine. I feel like I didn't write the smut scene as best I could, but now I just want to write more so I can get better. Onto the next thing: I am writing another story (separate from this one) and I will post it sometime in the next couple of weeks. (Stay tuned, it's Lance/Shiro...in their twenties...in space.)


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